Misadventure in the Darkness
by Pissed off Canadian
Summary: The Koopalings and Bowser Junior have nothing to do back home, so they are sent out to explore some potentially new territory when something wrong happens with the airship. Will they ever return? Will all of them return? Will only some of them return? There's only one way to find out!
1. Introduction

***Drumroll* Note from author: Hello, again, everyone! **

**This story is slightly different than any others that I have written and uploaded here. If you don't like bad things happening, then you might want to stay away from it. It's rated T, but there's a little grey area in the rating system on this site that doesn't have a section for lots of violence. It could be considered a little more on the M side, but I'm sure that no one looks at the rating anyway. There's no 'sexy' stuff in this story, or in anything I write for that matter. I don't plan on it. There may be a few slightly suggestive jokes, but nothing like that actually happens here. Violence, on the other hand, you're in if you like it! This is the first time that I have ever written something as insane or crazy as this, so I have no idea how it's going to turn out. I'll have to try really hard to make this awesome, as well as put lots of time into thinking what should happen next in the story. **

**Might as well: I don't own any of the Nintendo characters featured in this story. Nintendo owns all of them. Any OC's that may appear probably belong to me, but I really couldn't care less if I see them in someone else's story. Besides, there will probably be only one of them.**

**Well, that's all I really have to say about this. I'm going to try not to make this insanely long, but I have to make sure that it's long enough to allow me to describe everything in detail. So, what do you have to wait for? Go right in there and have fun!**

**- Pissed off Canadian**

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><p><strong>Introduction<strong>

Even on a day like this, the castle was still as boring as it had always been. There was nothing to do in Darkland, despite the weather outside. The sun was peeking through the regular volcanic clouds for once, lighting up the red landscape around the castle. The weather here was always warm, however. The volcanoes and the ash clouds in the sky were to blame for that. No day in Darkland was particularly a bad day, if it wasn't for the fact that this place held nothing to do. Bowser wasn't the most likable king in the world, and he just so happened to rule over this place. He didn't do too good of a job in making sure that there was something to do there. He didn't mind how the landscape of the place was, however. He liked the weather which was almost always hot, and he also liked the fact that there was no one around there to bother him on his free time – all the time.

There were also many more inhabitants of Darkland; mainly Bowser's army, who didn't do much either. Since there was no one who wanted to take over the land and call it their own, the army that ruled the place didn't have anything to do. There were two, however. Whenever Bowser kidnapped the princess of the neighboring Mushroom Kingdom, he always had two brothers come and take her from him. The king's ultimate goal was to take over the kingdom, but Mario and Luigi would always come and foil his plans by taking the princess back from him. He didn't like this, since he would never be able to get his claws on the Mushroom Kingdom.

Bowser was never alone there in Darkland – he had his minions with him in the castle along with his son. Even though his minions weren't his children, he made sure to treat them like it and he also made sure to treat them all equally. Bowser really loved all eight of them, and he would be devastated if something were to happen to even one of them.

Bowser's minions – the seven Koopalings – would always be the ones doing most of Bowser's dirty work. They all looked up to him as a father, since he raised them since the day they were born. There were seven of them living in the castle with Bowser – Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig. Since the king had all of these helpful little hands close by at all times, why do any of the work himself? He also raised all of them for years, so he thought that he deserved something in return for that.

Larry Koopa was the youngest of the seven Koopalings, and also the most protected out of them. His older brothers would do anything to keep him safe, and he loved them for that. He also liked to draw and look at art, and did lots of that on his spare time – something that he and his other siblings had lots of in Bowser's castle. He was also full of questions all the time, since he liked to find out how and why many things worked. Larry was also the most docile out of the Koopalings, and he didn't like to hurt anyone or anything unless he absolutely had to. All in all, Larry was the most lovable Koopaling, which was also part of the reason why he was the most protected. None of his siblings minded being around him – he would be quite helpful and smart if he was helping out, but he would also be quiet and out of the way if he wasn't needed.

Morton Koopa Jr., the second-youngest of the Koopalings, was also the loudest of them. He wouldn't ever stop talking, which usually got him to annoy everyone else. If he wasn't allowed to hurt anyone, then he would just annoy them until they regretted even being alive. Morton Koopa liked to talk, and dreamed of becoming some sort of announcer someday. He also liked to do a lot of eating, which had to do with his size. Despite being one of the youngest of the Koopalings, he was also one of the largest. He didn't like to push his smaller siblings around, however, even though he would have no problem doing so. He would rather just talk to them for hours on end until they got around to doing what he wanted. Mortan was just a straight-up loud mouth, but he was also quite smart. He wasn't too bad to be around, as long as he wasn't rambling on and on about something random.

Wendy O. Koopa – the only female Koopaling in the castle. She liked to have everything to herself, and hated it when someone wouldn't give her what she wanted. As long as she wasn't begging for something, she wasn't too bad to be around – as long as she wasn't in the way. This brat wouldn't move if someone forced her to, since she would have to do something for someone else, which just wasn't going to happen. None of the other Koopalings really spent much time with her, since she would just keep going on and on about what she wanted, and about how apparently pretty she was. When she wasn't talking about what she wanted, she would be talking about how much she wanted to go to the shopping mall at that moment. She was somewhat useless in everyone else's eyes, since she only cared about herself, and she never liked to help anyone out. If it wouldn't benefit her, then why bother?

Iggy Koopa, the middle child of the Koopalings. He was also the tallest out of them, and quite skinny. He was also quite hyperactive for some reason which no one knew. He was also very smart – he liked to do experiments on everything, and he also liked to build stuff all the time. Iggy usually made a mess everywhere he went because of the amount of experiments that he would try doing all of the time. Iggy was also somewhat crazy, which probably had something to do with the sheer amount of time which he spent around different chemicals. He was not crazy in the sense that he would kill someone out of random, but more crazy in the sense that he liked to try anything out, no matter how dangerous. Safety was not number one priority for this Koopaling. It could also be considered a miracle that he was still alive. Despite being quite hyperactive and obnoxious, Iggy loved all of his siblings; mostly equally. They didn't mind him being around, since he would be a huge help when it came to building or repairing something. When he was bored, however, it was a different story. He would be annoying, and be constantly trying to find something to do. He was generally liked, despite everything, since he did care a lot about his younger and older siblings.

Roy Koopa – the largest of the seven Koopalings. He was loud, and liked to mess things up wherever he went. He also liked to push those around him who are smaller just for the fun of it. He was the strongest, and showed this whenever he was forced to protect his siblings. The rest of the Koopalings, he would leave alone most of the time. He cared about them, so there was no point in pushing them around. He was also the most protective of his other siblings, and defending them would be the time where he was most likely to show off his strength. Anyone who tried to hurt them would be pummeled in an instant. The only time Roy would end up hurting his siblings is when they were playing. He would play a little too rough sometimes, and someone would end up with a bruise or a knock on the head. In the end, they were just playing, so they would just laugh it off. He didn't mind helping out his siblings if they needed it, as long as they helped him out in return. Roy was one who would do anything in his power to protect his family, and he did a good job at it.

Lemmy Koopa was the second oldest of the Koopalings, and also the smallest of them. Despite looking to be weak and fragile, Lemmy was quite agile. He preferred getting around on a circus ball, since that would be faster than walking for him, and more enjoyable. He was also a little goofball – almost everything was a joke to him, and he wouldn't really bother taking anything seriously. He enjoyed fooling around all the time, and loved to make fun out of everything possibly. He was probably also the nicest of the Koopalings, since he was cheerful all the time, which rubbed off onto anyone around him. His optimism is what usually keeps his siblings in a good mood, even if they're in a sticky situation. Lemmy liked to have fun all of the time, and everywhere he went, which made him nice to be around, unless someone couldn't keep up with him. He also knew when to leave someone alone, which prevented him from annoying everyone too much. Lemmy was nice to be around, and was also liked by his siblings for his cheerfulness. Without Lemmy, the rest of the Koopalings probably wouldn't have someone to look up to if they were sad.

Ludwig von Koopa – the oldest of the seven Koopalings was a musician at heart. He liked to compose music on his free time, and put on a good show if there was anyone around to watch him. Ludwig also seemed to be more of a father to the rest of the Koopalings than anyone else was. Part of this was due to the fact that he was the most mature out of all of them, and he liked to be one to guide them in life. He only wanted the best for the other Koopalings, so he would make sure that they looked up to him, and that they followed his example. Because of this, Ludwig was quite respectful, but he wasn't too cheerful. Sure, he would have fun sometimes, but most of the time, he would be making sure that the Koopalings learned how to behave. The rest of the Koopalings were learning from him, since none of them hated each other or thought that they were better than one another. He was a true leader, and a good one at that.

Bowser's son – Bowser Junior – seemed to be a smaller version of Bowser himself. He always liked to have everything to himself, and didn't like it when anyone else told him otherwise. He would also be the official heir to the throne, and knew that someday he would rule the kingdom, and that he would take over all of the land around him when he got older – what his own father was never able to do. Despite this, he knew that he would rule over all of the lands around him. He currently ordered all of the guards around the castle, since his father was trying to prepare him for when he grows up.

Bowser himself was the king of Darkland. He liked to have authority to anyone below him, and he liked to rule everything around him. For years, he had been trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, but the Mario Brothers would always foil his plans for that. Despite his authoritarian personality, he had respect for those who he lived with. His enemies would never get respect from him, but everyone else in the castle would. He somewhat wished to be the one who the seven Koopalings looked up to, but he was too busy to care for them all the time. Bowser was the one providing everything for them, and he tried to spend some time with them. They looked up to him as a father most of the time, since he was the one who raised them and cared for them in their early lives. Currently, Ludwig was guiding the rest of the Koopalings around most of the time, since Bowser had many other things to do. Bowser was also a little too busy most of the time because he only ever wanted one thing – the Mushroom Kingdom, and he was determined to get it eventually.

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><p><strong>So that was the end of the introduction part. I'm making all of the Koopalings really love each other in this one. Probably even more so than they would in some official material. Trust me – making every Koopaling, Bowser, and Junior all really like each other is going to add to this story in the sense that it's more painful in the end. Mwahaha! By the way, if a chapter takes a little while to write, then that means that I'm putting lots of thought into it. I'll try to have this updated once every couple weeks AT THE VERY LEAST. That's if I'm really busy and I have no time to write – a worst case scenario. I can see this being updated weekly without too much of an issue. The only thing preventing me from reaching that goal is if I go somewhere and don't bring the story with me. Don't worry – I WILL finish this (school projects say otherwise :P).<strong>


	2. Nothing to Do

**Chapter one: Nothing to Do**

Darkland was a truly boring place, especially for the seven Koopalings – Bowser's seven minions. They were all hanging out in the living room of the castle; some with each other; others doing their own thing. All in all, they were just trying to kill time until they were either ordered to do something, or given something to do. The living room which they were in was nothing short of fancy – red carpet, veneer walls, chandeliers; this room was the one place to be in the castle. The Koopalings also each had their own bedrooms, but they didn't mind each other's company.

Larry Koopa was sitting on a red recliner at the end of the large living room, drawing a picture in his sketchbook. He didn't mind the boring day in the castle, since he was able to keep himself occupied with his own mind. The only thing that was getting to him was the pair goofing off at the other end of the room. "Can you guys please keep it down?" Larry loudly asked from the other side of the living room.

Iggy and Lemmy were both playing around in the living room because of the lack of things to do around there. They were both inseparable, since they both liked to make fun out of everything. They also had lots in common, and liked to spend time with each other. Lemmy and Iggy were truly the best of friends. This also led them to having fun together all the time – Lemmy was standing on Iggy's shoulders, and he was amazingly able to stay planted there with his incredible balance. He then threw his circus ball at the wooden wall of the luxurious living room, only to have Iggy catch it beneath him. Lemmy threw it with such great precision that Iggy was able to catch it with one hand. Hearing his little brother ask him politely from the other side of the room, Iggy turned around. He then shouted back, "Later!" He then turned around, and still had Lemmy on his shoulders, despite turning around quite quickly. Lemmy laughed at Iggy's response, and then proceeded to continue playing with his younger brother.

Back at the other side of the room, Larry growled at the fact that Iggy just ignored his request. Larry's growl wasn't threatening whatsoever, but it was able to show that he was annoyed. Since his brothers weren't going to listen to him, he looked back down at his sketchbook and continued drawing his picture. The youngest of the Koopalings then tried ignoring everything that was going on around him. Despite his efforts, Larry was still distracted by Lemmy and Iggy making a bunch of noise at the other end of the living room. He almost lost his patience on them, but he was able to maintain his calm. Larry thought that he might as well just wait for them to stop being so loud. He then looked back down at the photo that he was drawing, and continued working on it.

In the middle of the living room, there was a large red couch that matched the recliners at both ends of the room. Larry was sitting on one of them drawing something, while the other one remained unoccupied. On the large red couch, Ludwig sat there along with his larger yet younger brothers, Morton and Roy. There was something that happened in there that bothered Ludwig. He did hear how Iggy responded to Larry when he politely asked his brothers to keep it down, and he didn't like it when any of his younger siblings got into conflict. He sighed, and then said, "Looks like I have to deal with them again."

Both Morton and Roy snickered at the same time. They thought it was funny that Ludwig always wanted to make sure that order was kept in the castle. This was mostly because those two Koopalings were the ones most likely to mess something up, and they really liked to be loud and rowdy. Order was just an afterthought when it came to these guys. "Go make sure that they're better," said Morton to his oldest brother. "Just keep that order thing you have going here... In order!"

Roy laughed at his brother's cheapish joke. He and Morton usually were around each other, but that was mostly due to the fact that they would be able to play rough with each other and not end up hurting one another. Being the two largest and strongest Koopalings had its perks sometimes.

Ludwig shook his head, but never said anything to Morton. At least they weren't doing anything to make the situation worse than it already was. He got up off of the large red couch, and started walking towards the one side of the room that Lemmy and Iggy were both at playing around. He saw that they were throwing Lemmy's ball back and forth from the wall. Bowser would not like seeing them do that, since doing so could potentially mark or damage the wall. The eldest Koopaling approached his younger and goofier brothers, and told them, "Please stop making so much noise. You guys should be doing that outside so that you don't disrupt everyone in here, and so that you don't damage the wall by throwing things at it."

Iggy quickly turned around in order to face his older brother. Lemmy almost fell off of his shoulders, but the little Koopaling was able to catch his balance and jump off with an insane degree of control. He was also holding onto his ball as he jumped off of Iggy, so he placed that on the floor before him. Both Lemmy and Iggy then stared at their older brother, and tried to look as innocent as possible. They were never innocent, so Ludwig never let their faces get to him. The eldest of the Koopalings then calmly said to his brothers, "Larry asked you guys nicely to keep it down. There was no need for you guys to ignore him like that." Ludwig liked to be really kind to his siblings, especially when he was telling them to do something or correcting them. That level of control that he showed worked really well so that he never hurt or startled any of his siblings. This really worked all the time, since he never really had to tell them twice to do something. Ludwig always went out of his way to make sure that his brothers and sister were feeling fine. He was always there for him, and they were always willing to help him out.

Lemmy and Iggy both stared back at their oldest brother, hoping that he wasn't upset with them. They both knew that they were bothering Larry while they were having fun, and that they should have gone somewhere else when the youngest Koopaling asked them to keep it down. Iggy lowered his head as he thought about this, and he then said to Ludwig, "I didn't mean to be a bother, but we were just having fun."

Ludwig kneeled down in front of the two goofy Koopas so that he could get on eye-level with Lemmy. He looked up, and politely said to Iggy, "I know that you guys were just having fun, and you still can. You guys should just go into one of your rooms or outside if you want to make some noise. Besides, it's a really nice day out there."

Lemmy and Iggy both looked at each other. Their older brother was right – it was a nice day out there, and they were being pretty disruptive in the living room. "Maybe we should go outside," suggested Lemmy. Iggy looked back, and said, "Or we can do something else."

"If only there was something else to do here," added Ludwig. He knew that Lemmy and Iggy were pretty bored, and he couldn't blame them. There was nothing to do at the castle during a day like this. If only there was something that all of them could do in order to pass some time.

"I can apologize to Larry," said Lemmy, lowering his voice slightly. Thinking about it, he didn't feel right about ignoring Larry like that. He was usually so nice to everyone, so it would be just plain wrong to ignore him. "Come with me," he then said, looking at Iggy. The taller Koopaling nodded.

"That's really nice of you two," said Ludwig as Lemmy and Iggy were about to walk to the other side of the living room to go check on Larry. Both of them nodded at him, so he proceeded back to the large couch where he could sit down for some more time.

Iggy and Lemmy walked to the other side of the room, and they saw that Larry was staring down at his sketchbook, drawing something. He usually had that thing with him whenever he wasn't doing anything else. Larry was always so good at drawing that it baffled his siblings. Lemmy and Iggy had one thing to do there – to make sure that they didn't really bother their youngest brother by talking back to him. Lemmy jumped onto the right armrest of the chair, while Iggy kneeled down on the other side of it. "Sorry for being loud over there," the taller Koopaling quietly said to the artistic one.

Larry noticed that they were both there, and he saw that they wanted to apologize to him. There really was no need to, but he loved seeing that his brothers and sister cared for him. Larry then told Iggy, "I'm not mad or anything, but you guys were just being kind of annoying. Just saying."

"I didn't really want to bother you," added Lemmy.

Larry chuckled. "You never bothered me more than a slight annoyance," he said to Lemmy. "I just came here to draw, and you guys were being a little too noisy. That is all."

Larry wasn't all that large in comparison to the chair, so there was still a bit of space left on it – enough for Lemmy to squeeze in. He slid down off of the armrest, and he was able to squeeze himself in between it and Larry. Larry smiled as his brother sat down next to him, but he slid over a little so that they would have more space to sit. Lemmy looked over at the sketchbook that was resting in Larry's lap, and he had no idea what was being drawn there. "What are 'ya drawing?" The small Koopaling cheerfully asked his brother.

"Just a picture of the castle," replied Larry. He had the outlines of the photo complete, but he still had to add in the shading and intricate details. There was still a couple hours worth of work to put into it before it was show worthy. "It's going to be done really soon. I just need some time to detail everything."

"How long should that take?" Iggy asked from Larry's left side.

"Probably a couple hours," replied Larry.

"Make sure I'm here to see it finished!" Chirped Lemmy.

"Me too," added Iggy with a slight chuckle. Lemmy's excitement was always enough to crack him up, along with the rest of his family.

"I'll probably forget," replied Larry. He pulled a blank sheet of paper out of his book, and then he folded it in half so that he could place it on the inside of his sketchbook. "This will remind me." Larry then wrote on the folded sheet of paper, in large letters, _*Finish this for Lemmy and Iggy. No exceptions! _Larry then placed the folded sheet over top of the incomplete drawing, and then closed his book. "I'll get that done later, but I want to find something to do right now."

Iggy, Larry, and Lemmy all looked at each other. They were all bored in the castle, and there really was nothing for them to do. Surely there had to be someplace where they could go.

"Let's go see what everyone else wants to do," suggested Lemmy. Larry patted him on the head, and then said, "Sure... They might have something to do."

Iggy then stood up off of the floor, while Lemmy and Larry both got off of the red recliner at the same time. All three Koopalings then walked over to the front of the room to see Ludwig. He was usually the one who planned things out, so maybe he had something that they could do. Morton and Roy were with him, and they seemed to be talking about something. The three larger Koopalings watched their smaller brothers walk up to them.

"What's up?" Roy obnoxiously asked them. He roughly picked Lemmy up, but never managed to hurt the smallest one. "Come on!" Lemmy squealed as he dangled from Roy with only one arm. The largest Koopaling laughed, and then set his smallest brother down on his knee.

Meanwhile, Iggy and Larry both sat down on the large sofa next to Morton. Ludwig was sitting in between them, with Roy on his right and Morton on his left. Morton moved over to the right a little so that his brothers could sit down next to him. "Do you have something really really nice in there?" The loudmouth asked while looking at Larry. He saw that the youngest had his sketchbook with him, and he usually had some really interesting drawings in it.

"It's not finished," replied Larry, "But I am working on a drawing in there." He held the book on his lap, and was ready to show Morton if he asked to see it. He would probably keep going on and on about it if Larry never showed him, so the youngest knew that it would be best for him to do so.

"Can I take a look at the interesting drawing that you're drawing in your drawing book there, Larry?" Morton inevitably asked.

Larry smiled at his slightly older brother. He then opened his book to the page that he was on, and passed it over to the second-oldest Koopaling. Morton smiled as Larry passed him the book. He always had something for the way Larry drew – all the details were amazing to look at, and he put lots of work into his art. It really was amazing to the large brown Koopaling.

Larry waited for his book to come back to him, which would be in a little while. Morton would most likely spend some time staring at the drawing, so Larry usually had to wait a bit for him to finish with it. He also still had the folded piece of paper in his hands, and was staring at it. Iggy was on his left, so he turned to that Koopaling and said, "I'll make this really special for you and Lemmy."

Iggy looked back over at Larry, and smiled. Larry always made his drawings really special, but he never said such a thing to either Iggy or Lemmy. He then told the youngest, "I really hope to see it. It's going to be amazing." Larry smiled back at him, so he smiled back. "I'd still like to do something," the youngest Koopaling said with a sigh.

"We'll find something to do," replied Iggy, patting Larry on the top of the head.

Right on the other side of the couch, Roy and Lemmy were chatting. "Maybe we can go somewhere," suggested Lemmy.

Roy looked back at the small Koopaling who was sitting on his lap. He was out of ideas, as were Morton and Ludwig. He then told Lemmy, "If there's anywhere to go around here."

Lemmy shrugged. He didn't know about any place that they could go visit, but truth be told, there really wasn't anywhere they could go around there. "Something will come up."

Iggy looked over top of Larry, Morton, and Ludwig. He was on the far left side of the couch – really bored. Morton was still looking at the photo that Larry was working on, and Lemmy was talking to Roy. They must've come up with something, so the taller Koopaling asked everyone, "Think of anything yet?"

"Not really," said Ludwig, looking back over at Iggy. "We're all out of ideas, and it doesn't seem like anyone else in here really wants to do anything."

Ludwig was right. Iggy took a look around the lavish living room, and saw just how bored his brothers and sister were. He, Ludwig, Roy, Morton, Larry, and Lemmy were all on the only couch in there. Wendy was laying down on the floor reading the latest edition of the 'Koopa Girl' magazine. Junior was probably with Bowser since he was nowhere to be seen in the living room. The tallest Koopaling then sighed once he observed the lack of activity going on in that living room. "Guess we'll just have to find something to do later."

"That's probably about right," replied Larry. Morton passed his sketchbook back at the same time, so he realigned the folded sheet of paper in there and then closed the book.

"That was really nice," said Morton, complimenting his younger brother. Larry only smiled, but that quickly faded as he thought about how bored he would be in the next few minutes.

After sitting there for a moment, all seven Koopalings in the living room heard the large wooden door open. Bowser Junior stepped through. He announced to the seven Koopailngs, "Dad wants us all to be in the throne room. He told me to come and tell you guys."

All of the Koopalings in the room sighed. Normally Bowser called them all into the throne room at the same time when he had something for them to do, but at least it was something to do. Once they stood up, they were ready to follow Junior to the throne room. The youngest Koopa in the group looked back at all seven Koopalings, and told them, "I think dad has something for us to do."

"Finally," remarked Iggy. "We've been doing literally nothing for the past couple hours."

Junior ignored Iggy's remark. Instead, he continued leading all seven Koopalings over to the throne room. All eight Koopas then walked down the really large and long hallway that led to the throne room. Once they all arrived there, they were met with a serious but not unhappy looking king. King Bowser Koopa was sitting on his large golden throne at the end of the room as usual, and he was staring at the ensemble of Koopas who were now lined up in front of his throne.

"Greetings," the king said to everyone lined up. "I have something for all of you guys to do."

"Finally we have something to do," said Iggy. "We've been really bored around here."

"Then you're about to be not bored," replied Bowser, reaching out and grabbing something from the side pocket of his throne. It was a large rolled up sheet of paper; probably a map of sorts. He spread it out across his lap before pointing out, "There's some land at the edge of the kingdoms that I want to be explored."

"What's in it for us?" Ludwig questioned.

"Adventure," replied the king. "Besides, I'm a bit too busy to chart this land on my own, and it would be a little easier on your old Koopa if you guys are to do it for me."

Ludwig was about to say something, but his youngest brother stepped in front of him. "I'd like to go out there!" He exclaimed. Ludwig was about to push Larry out of the way, but they were both interrupted from the left side.

"If it gets me out of this place, then I wouldn't mind going," said Iggy. "Maybe we'll have fun looking at some uncharted territory."

Ludwig sighed. "I guess I'll go out there with you guys, then."

Roy turned to his oldest brother. He said, "What's in it for us is that we will have more land to do stuff with if there's no one there."

"That's true," interrupted Morton. "Maybe it's a really nice place that we can go to and have fun at because it's a really nice place, and maybe we won't be stuck in this castle all the time because we will have a really nice place to look at!"

"If it has a beach, then I'll go," added Wendy.

"I hope there's somewhere where I can go and play around all day," added Lemmy.

"If we have a better chance at taking over the Mushroom Kingdom because of it, then I'll go," added Junior.

Bowser sighed atop his throne. Not even he had any idea about that area at the edge of the kingdom. He looked down at the map and looked at the area that he had circled. There was a large red circle in one area of the kingdom called the 'Edgelands'. This was in between Darkland and the neighboring Mushroom Kingdom, which was uncharted mostly because no one ever bothered to go out there. Bowser decided that he might be able to add some useful land to his kingdom if he were to get it all mapped out, but that would require lots of effort to do. He then said to the line of Koopas, "None of you will know what's there if you don't go and take a look."

Every single one of the Koopalings took that into consideration. Sure, they were somewhat reluctant to go because they had no idea if there was anything interesting over at that uncharted land, but that did mean that they had no idea what was there. They would all have to go in order to find out if there was something over there that they enjoyed.

Larry then stepped forward towards the king. He said, "I think that will be kind of fun."

"I imagine that you guys will have at least some fun over there," replied Bowser. "At least that would give you guys something to do out of the castle."

All eight Koopas nodded at the same time. The king must've been right, since they were pretty much spending most of their time inside of the castle that day. Not once had they been out of it, so maybe getting out and seeing something new would be a change.

"I guess I'll go," said Ludwig. He had changed his mind mostly because all of the other Koopas did since he wanted to be with them. It would be irresponsible of him as the oldest brother to stay at the castle while they're all out doing something.

Bowser nodded at the Koopas while still sitting in his large golden throne. The map on his lap was ready to give to the Koopalings so that they knew where to go once they made it to that particular area. "Take an airship all the way over there," said Bowser. "It will be the safest, quickest, and easiest way to get over there."

"Who needs safety?" Roy blurted out in an attempted joke. Larry, Iggy, and Lemmy both snickered at this. The rest of the Koopalings along with Junior just shook their heads at Roy's unfunny joke.

An eerie silence filled the throne room as everyone in there just stood there, not making any actions. A couple moments later, Bowser broke this silence by cheerfully asking everyone else, "What are you guys waiting for? Go check that place out!"

Ludwig, being the oldest and most responsible, walked up to the king. "Let me take a look at the map," he said. Ludwig knew that he would be able to remember the line on the map so there really was no need to take anything more along with them. The oldest Koopaling took a moment to observe the map – the red line, which indicated the direction that they were supposed to go, went from the castle all the way to an uncharted area about 250 kilometers away. "We really have to travel all the way out there?" Ludwig protested.

"It's not really that far," replied Bowser. He really didn't want to go all the way out there for a couple of reasons. 1: he didn't want to travel that far, and 2: his kids had been inside the castle for the past couple of days, and there really wasn't anything for them to do around there. He decided that they might as well go look at some uncharted territory. "You guys will be back by midnight," he then said.

Ludwig looked at the map once again. Bowser was right – it was about noon, and it wouldn't take more than four hours to get to the destination. They could fly around there for a couple of hours, and then come back. The whole trip wouldn't take more than twelve hours to complete. "I guess it won't be really long." Ludwig then turned around, and told the other Koopas, "We'll fly there, then take a look around, and then come back. Sounds good?"

The ensemble of Koopas before Ludwig all nodded at him. The rest of them actually wanted to get out of the castle, and exploring a new area seemed interesting. At the very least it gave them all something to do.

"I guess the sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back," said Ludwig while looking at his brothers and sister.

"The sooner we come back, the sooner we get to do nothing here," added Lemmy.

Ludwig shook his head at the little Koopa's response. "I'm going to go prepare the airship," he said, "while all of you can get together everything that we'll need." He started making his way out of the throne room, but was interrupted by the king. He looked back, and saw that Junior and the rest of the Koopalings were all ready to follow him out of there. "Come back here," said Bowser. All the Koopas obediently walked back to the foot of the throne that the king stepped off of.

Bowser kneeled down in front of the Koopalings and Junior, and said to them, "Give your old Koopa a hug before you guys leave." He opened his arms, and saw that all the Koopas smiled at him as they walked into his arms. All eight of them were now in Bowser's arms. He would be seeing them once they got back, but twelve hours without them seemed far too long for Bowser. At least he would be seeing _all of them_ once they got back, right? He held all his children, direct and indirect, for about a minute before letting go of them. "Be safe out there," he said to them.

"We will," they all said simultaneously, smiling back at Bowser.

"We'd better get going then," added Ludwig. He was thinking about leaving as quickly as possible so that they could get back by midnight. He then started walking to the archway at the front of the throne room and his siblings all followed.

"Goodbye, kids!" Bowser cheerfully shouted at them as they left. They all turned back at the kind, and shouted back, "Bye!" Bowser then turned around and walked back to his throne. He smiled as he sat down, knowing that he made his children happy by taking them out of the castle, and he also made himself happy because he would have a bit more land to do things with. Bowser then sat motionless in his throne, thinking about how helpful his children really were. He would be seeing them soon, and he was excited about that.

* * *

><p><strong>I know that this was a really boring chapter, and nothing really happened in it (kind of took a little too long to write because of that). It's mainly there so that the Koopalings and Junior are sent out of the castle for a reason. I plan to keep everything long enough to explain what's going on, yet short enough so that it's not bloated. By the way, that little note Larry made for his drawing was put in there for a reason. It'll come back in an interesting way. Keep an eye out for it!<strong>

**Might as well clear this up while I'm at it: when I refer the Koopalings as Bowser's children, I'm meaning that they're not his direct descendants, but rather that they were either adopted some how, or left with him for some reason. In this story, Bowser Junior is his only offspring. The rest of them are there for unknown reasons since that's not covered in this story. That still doesn't mean that Bowser loves them less than Junior! He loves Junior and the Koopalings very much for the most part. **

**I hope that the next chapters aren't like this one in the sense that nothing really happened and I had to go back and change things. I don't want to bore my readers in the first couple chapters, but I also don't want to jump right into the action – the part that's going to make up a high percentage of the words in this story.**


	3. Departure

**Chapter 2: Departure**

On the inside of the castle, things were going along pretty smoothly. Morton and Roy were getting a few snacks out of the kitchen for their trip. Lemmy and Iggy were kind of just standing around by the foyer as they really didn't have anything to prepare. They both knew that they weren't going to be out of the castle for all that long, so there really was no need to bring anything to do along with them. Larry was in Wendy's room for one reason – to convince her to get out. She wanted to go along on the trip, but she was 'busy' filing her claws so that they were the perfect length.

"Don't take too long in here," the youngest Koopaling said as he watched his sister take way too much time filing down her claws.

"Leave me alone for another minute, Larry," said Wendy. She didn't mind Larry being in there, but she did mind him telling her to hurry up. In her eyes, she was being rushed by the young Koopaling.

"Just be a little faster than normal," replied Larry. "I'll go check up on everyone else to see how they're doing," he then said to his sister. Wendy didn't say anything else to Larry as she was probably glad that he was getting out of her room. Larry then walked out of his only sister's room, and then down the hallway to the foyer of the castle. On his way there, he caught up with Junior. He was walking out of his room at the time. Larry waved at the heir to the throne, who nodded back at him.

"Where are you going?" Junior asked.

"I'm going to see how ready everyone else is," replied Larry.

"Probably not really ready," replied Junior. He was in his room the whole time, so in reality he had no idea what the rest of his family was up to.

Larry nodded back at Junior. Both of the youngest Koopas then finished walking down the hallway that took them to the foyer. They arrived there moments later, and saw that Lemmy and Iggy were just standing around in there. They were looking down at the floor, presumably bored. Both of them looked up as Junior and Larry walked into the room which they were in, and they waved at the two youngest Koopas. Larry and Junior walked over to where Lemmy and Iggy were standing, and they realized why the two Koopalings were standing there with nothing to do – there was nothing for them to do.

As Larry and Junior approached Lemmy and Iggy, and the slightly older one asked, "Where's everyone else at?"

"Roy and Morton are in the kitchen," replied Iggy, "And I don't know about Wendy. You and Junior are here, and Ludwig is out in his airship."

Larry was just in Wendy's room, so he told Iggy, "She's in her room... Taking a really long time by making sure her claws are perfect."

"Like they ever are," interrupted Lemmy.

Every single one of the Koopas there snickered at the smallest one's joke. Every single one of the male Koopalings thought that the time Wendy took every morning to perfect her claws was just ridiculous. More often than not would she be in her room for hours on end just doing seemingly nothing in there. Whenever she came out of there, however, she really didn't have anyone to show her newly-filed claws to. Her brothers wouldn't really pay attention to her whenever she showed them off, and she hated that. Wendy was always one to want to be the center of attention.

By the time Lemmy, Larry, Iggy, and Junior calmed down, two large figures stepped into the foyer from the other end – Morton and Roy. The two large Koopas walked towards the grouping of their smaller brothers at the other end of the foyer while carrying numerous bags of chips and bottles of soda.

"So that's what they thought about," said Iggy. The foods that the large Koopalings had with them were more in line with what Iggy would be eating all night long, not what he would be eating during the day.

"Morton's the healthiest one around here," commented Larry.

"He wishes," added Lemmy.

Morton and Roy made it to the small group a moment later. Roy said to the rest of the Koopas, "We're ready to go here," as he handed Larry a couple bottles of white Chuckola Cola.

"We've been ready for a little while now," said Iggy. "Now we just have to wait for Wendy."

"Because she's taking a really, really long time, I take it?" Questioned Morton. Iggy nodded back at his large dark-skinned brother. "Of course she's taking a really long time," added Morton. "Remember this one time when she was in her room for five hours in a row and she never came out of there once because she was doing things in there and she was making sure that she-" The large Koopaling was cut short by his younger brother. "That's enough," the blue-haired Koopaling said before Morton got the chance to go on and on about something that probably happened ages ago. Larry loved Morton as much as he loved the rest of his siblings, but the large Koopa's rants would sometimes end up being too much. "You should go get her out of her room," the youngest Koopaling then suggested.

Morton nodded back at Larry, and he was about to go back into the castle to get his sister. He was interrupted, however – Larry said to his slightly older brother, "We'll be in the airship. Just meet us in there."

"Okay!" Morton loudly replied. He then ran off to the hallway in the foyer that went to the Koopalings' bedrooms.

There was a moment of silence in the foyer as Morton left. This may have been caused by him leaving it, but it was most likely because all five Koopas in that room were anxious to get aboard the airship.

"Might as well exit," suggested Iggy.

"Sure," replied Roy. He was carrying multiple bags on his arms, each with multiple bags of potato chips in them. Morton had a few bags on him, except that they were filled with bottles of soda. He had passed two of them over to Larry who was now walking towards the door of the castle. His brothers followed him outside where they then walked down the large tarmac over to Ludwig's airship. Judging by the sound of it, they could tell that the ship was already running, and it was most likely ready to leave. There was a hatch on the side that was open, so the five Koopas walked through that and ended up on the empty interior of the large airship.

"I'll just set these over here," said Larry, placing his bottles of soda on the floor right near the door. He figured that they wouldn't be opened for a little while yet, so there was no point in carrying them around. He then caught up with the rest of the Koopas who were aboard the airship. They were all heading over to Ludwig who was sitting on a crate at the far end of the room. They were all crowding around the oldest Koopaling, presumably asking him many questions about where they were going to end up and such. Larry walked over to them, and he was correct. Lemmy was standing right in front of his older brother, chatting about something. Roy and Iggy were both looking at the various types of chips that were brought along. Junior was kind of standing off to the side, and he looked to be alone. Being as nice and caring as he was, Larry walked over to Junior and started chatting with the smaller Koopa.

"You excited to go on this trip?" Larry first asked the heir to the throne as he approached.

Junior nodded back at the slightly older Koopa. "I just hope that we find something interesting out there," he then said.

"I'm sure we will," replied Larry. He giggled, and continued, "We'll find something. Don't worry about it."

Junior smiled at Larry's optimism. He, too, hoped that they would find something out there. If not, then that would make the whole trip essentially pointless. "Now we just have to wait for Morton and Wendy," he said, looking over at Larry as they stood off to the side away from the rest of the Koopalings. He seemed to mention that on time, since two Koopas walked into the airship at approximately the same time; one large, and the other one relatively average-sized. Morton was carrying a few bags on his arms. They were full of the same soda that he took out of the kitchen minutes ago. The large Koopaling and the female Koopaling both saw the group gathered around at the end of the airship, so they both walked over there. Once Morton got there, he set the bottles of soda down on the floor next to the chips that Roy brought out earlier. "Now that's a really big pile of good food!" The brown-skinned Koopaling exclaimed. Junk food was his favorite type, and that was easy to guess just by taking a look at Morton.

"That's technically not food," replied Iggy, "But it is pretty good."

"One really long night won't hurt," said Lemmy.

"Half of a night," interrupted Ludwig. Lemmy sarcastically shook his head at his older brother. Ludwig was always one to mess up someone's jokes, and he seemed to have a good time doing so. "Whatever," the really small Koopaling then said.

All seven Koopalings along with Junior then stood there at the back end of the ship for about a minute. They all seemed to be settled in and probably ready to head out. Ludwig broke the silence after a bit of time by saying to the rest of the group, "I guess we might as well head out now." The airship was already running so all that had to be done was to get off the ground and get on course to the uncharted land. The oldest Koopaling then walked over to the stairway that led to the bridge, and he walked up it. The rest of his family followed him along there, and he did not mind them being in there as long as they didn't interfere with what he would be doing. Ludwig stepped over to the controls of the ship while the rest of his siblings stood around him.

The engines of the ship were already going, so all Ludwig had to do was to take it off the ground. There was a clutch lever for the propellers on the control panel, so the oldest Koopaling pushed it forward. This engaged the propellers, so they started rotating. He then reached over to the altitude adjustment lever on the other side of the steering wheel, and pushed forth on it. There were no vibrations travelling through the ship, and it almost felt as if the machine wasn't even running. Almost as if powered by magic, the large airship started lifting off of the ground. It felt like being in a really large elevator, except for that they could see out front and around. The ground was shrinking beneath them. No – they were lifting off into the sky.

"I have it from here," said Ludwig. He then politely asked the rest of his family, "May you guys please keep it down in here if you're going to be up here?" Everyone he asked nodded at him. He knew that they would all listen to him, but it was good just to assure them that he wanted peace and quiet in the airship as he flew it to the location.

After about a minute, the airship was about 200 meters in the air – enough to avoid any mountains there in Darkland, and close enough to the ground so that they could see where they were. Ludwig never brought the map along, so he had to rely on the power of his own mind to remember the course. Luckily he was able to memorize it the moment he saw it. The oldest Koopaling then announced to his family, "Turn it around, and then we should be on the right path."

Junior and all the Koopalings smiled at this. They were now on the way to some uncharted land; something to look at around there. Usually there was nothing in Darkland to see except for fiery mountains and volcanoes, but their destination was on the edge of this kingdom, and on the edge of the neighboring kingdom. At the very least, they would be doing something interesting outside of the castle. Each and every one of the Koopalings had high hopes of finding something there, but there was only one way to find out. Could it be nothing? Could it be something interesting? Could it be something... _Dangerous_? None of them knew. All that was known is that they were going somewhere unknown.

Ludwig pushed forward on the thrust control of his airship, and they were finally en-route to their destination.

"We should go back down," suggested Lemmy to the rest of the Koopas once he saw that the airship was on the correct course. He didn't want to be in his brother's way, along with the rest of his family.

"That would be fine with me," said Ludwig. "Just come up here if any of you need anything, or if there's something wrong with anything."

"You heard him," Lemmy then said. All of the Koopalings except for Ludwig then turned around, and slowly walked downstairs to the inside of the ship's hull. On his way out, Lemmy glanced at a clock on the wall and noticed that the time was 12:22. They would be back by midnight which would give them some time to hang around the castle and possibly talk about what they saw. Bowser would most likely be in bed at that time, so they would have to tell him in the morning.

All of the Koopalings arrived at the ship's hull after walking down the stairs from the bridge. Once they were all in there, they gathered around the base of the stairs that led to the bridge. The hull of the airship was pretty large, so that gave them ample space to hang around until they made it to their destination. All that was left for the Koopas was to wait, and they didn't have to do that for very long since they were soon going to be in uncharted territory.

* * *

><p><strong>Sooo... That concludes the second chapter of my 'Misadventure in the Darkness'! I kept this one a little shorter than usual because there wasn't much to write about in it. This was pretty much just describing what happened when they took off from the castle, and now the Koopas are up in the air. Will they have a smooth ride all the way there and back? Want to find out? Stay tuned!<strong>

**I'm making really good time on this story at the moment. I didn't have all that much time to write it because of school and other things that I like to do, but I greatly overestimated the time that it would take me to write this chapter. With what I have planned for the next (probably on the short side) chapter, I'll probably have it up by the end of the week if I continue this kind of timing. Great! **

**So, I guess I'll see you in about four days. Please leave a review behind, by the way. It's really helpful to see what can be improved, or just so what people think about the story. Criticism is accepted! (Remember that I haven't been writing for very long). I also really like receiving reviews on my stories, so it would be great if my readers took the time to leave one (or more! xD) behind. **

**Guess I'll be seeing you again! (Not really, but still) Stay tuned for the interesting adventure that I'm taking all eight Koopas on!**


	4. Calm Before the Storm: Part 1

**Chapter 3: Calm Before the Storm: Part 1**

**- 12:50 PM**

The inside of the airship had been about the same for the past half hour. Pretty empty, and that emptiness was getting through to all passengers aboard. None of the Koopalings had anything to do in there, so they ended up turning to each other for entertainment. Roy and Morton were hanging around the engine room of the ship; Lemmy and Iggy were hanging out in the large main room of the ship's hull; Wendy was hanging out with Ludwig up in the bridge since he was the brother who she best got along with. There were only two Koopas left who were not with anyone else – Larry and Bowser Junior. The older of the two was inside one of the small storage rooms at the back end of the ship, while the younger one was on the deck of the ship looking around at the ground beneath them. He was able to see that they were moving along quite quickly, which was made more apparent because of the wind flying past.

Larry, down below in the ship, was pretty much inside of the storage room because he didn't really have anywhere else to go. Each of the other Koopalings were hanging out with the ones they had most in common more, and they might not exactly want Larry around them for some reason. Larry didn't want to try butting into anything that the others were doing because he didn't want to annoy any of them. He also didn't mind being alone in that little storage room, which was the main reason that he didn't bother looking around the airship for things to do. There were some interesting things in that room; mostly engine parts, tools, and some other parts of the airship. There was also a couple random things like rope and some empty glass jars. Larry strolled around this room, picking things up, taking a look, and then placing them back on the shelf. Larry was pretty bored, but he didn't want to annoy any of his siblings by interrupting whatever they were doing. At least he was able to keep himself occupied enough by poking around the small storage room. Like most of the time, Larry wouldn't mind if someone went in there to see him, but he didn't really care that there was no one else in there.

There was a small porthole on the wall of the ship, so Larry walked up to it and took a look outside. The weather out there seemed to be getting a bit cloudy, but nevertheless the day was still quite nice. They were still flying over Darkland, but they were probably getting close to the edge of the kingdom. Their destination was quite a ways down south, after all. It was also on the west side of the kingdom since they were headed to the area between the Mushroom Kingdom and Darkland. The Koopaling though for a moment. Maybe it would have been better to stay home since there was nothing for the Koopaling to do aboard the airship. He could walk around a bit more, but he didn't mind being in the small storage room. Maybe if he waited longer then someone would enter that room to see how Larry was doing.

Larry was thinking about someone else at the correct time, since he herd the door to the small storage room open. The Koopaling was on the opposite side of a shelf from which the door was on, so he looked through the shelves and saw that Junior walked into the room – alone. Larry waved at the Koopa from the other side of the shelf as a greeting. Finally someone was there that he could hang out with until they made it to their destination. From the other side of the shelf, Junior waved back at Larry. The reason he came down here is because there was nothing else to do on the ship, and he wasn't able to find Larry anywhere else. When they first all entered the ship, they were just standing around in there. Junior was alone at the time, so Larry walked over to him and started talking. The heir thought that he might as well find that same Koopaling since there wasn't really anyone else who he could go hang out with. Besides, Larry was really nice.

"What are you doing in here?" The youngest Koopa in the room asked the slightly older one.

"Just killing time," replied Larry, walking around with his head down. "There's really nothing to do around here."

"Just like it was back in the castle," replied Junior.

Larry sighed. They mainly went on this trip because of the lack of things to do in the castle, but they were bored already. "We'll find something to do once we get there," he said.

Junior nodded. He agreed with Larry. Even if they didn't find anything to do on the way to their destination, it was still better than staying in the castle for the rest of the day. At least they were doing something out of there. "We'll be there soon," he then said.

Larry smiled back at the younger Koopa. He didn't have much in common with Junior, but at least they'd be able to kill some time together on the way to the uncharted territory. "Want to just hang around here?" He then asked Junior. Maybe this would be an opportunity for them to get to know each other for a little while. Junior nodded back at the Koopaling while smiling at the same time, and then walked up to Larry's side. Both of them then started walking around the small storage room for the time being, waiting for something at least partially interesting to happen.

Junior had a question that was bothering him for a little while that he wanted to ask Larry. They had been walking around the small storage room with silence filling the air for the last couple of moments. Junior decided that this moment was as good as any to ask the Koopaling a question. First of all, he quietly asked, "Larry?"

Normally, when someone had something important to ask, they would call out the name of whoever they were asking before actually speaking. Larry wondered as to why Junior wanted to ask him something. As nice as the youngest Koopaling was, he wasn't usually asked for help if someone needed it. Anyone in his family would normally go to Ludwig for assistance since he was really good at helping others out. "Yeah?" Larry questioned after a couple seconds.

"Can I ask you something?" The youngest Koopa in the room then asked in response.

"Go ahead," replied Larry, "Ask me anything you'd like, really."

Junior smiled. He was glad to hear that Larry was willing to help him out. He then asked the Koopaling, "How come you went to me when I was alone when we first got on here?"

The blue-haired Koopaling tilted his head. He went to Junior when they first boarded the airship because they were both alone. He explained, "Because you were alone back there, so I thought that I might as well talk to you so you could have some company."

Junior felt a little closer to Larry upon hearing that. He really didn't know too much about that particular Koopaling because he liked to be alone most of the time. "You're really nice," the king's son then said while smiling at Larry.

"Thanks," replied Larry. He didn't know too much about Junior because he would be spending lots of time with his father instead of the Koopalings. All seven of the Koopalings were able to keep themselves entertained without Bowser. Just because he loved all of them didn't mean that he went out of his way to keep them company. The fatherly king was busy most of the time, and he simply didn't have enough time to hang out with the Koopalings. Maybe they could get to know each other a little better while on this little adventure. "I was alone as well," he then said. "I kind of wanted to be with someone at the time, and I saw that you were alone and maybe you wanted some company."

"Didn't really matter to me at the time," said Junior, "But it was nice that you went up to me like that. No one really ever does that for reasons."

_Probably because you're really annoying most of time, _thought Larry. Junior was not the most likeable whenever he wanted something, and that was most of the time. However, it was nice to see that the Koopa was being honest this time. Larry didn't want to be rude, but he didn't want to hide anything from Junior either. Being honest was what he liked to do with his family, and there wasn't any reason to be dishonest to Junior. Besides, maybe he would open his eyes a bit more if someone told him the truth about the way he acted. Larry then asked, "Can I tell you something without offending you a little?"

The younger Koopa tilted his head. He never liked hearing such a question, especially from Larry. That particular Koopaling never ever asked him anything like that in the past. Who knows, maybe Larry had something simple to ask but thought that it was offensive for some reason. In that case, there was only one way to find out. Junior nodded at Larry, and heard the Koopaling sigh.

"I don't want to offend you," said Larry, feeling his stomach turn slightly, "But I also want to be honest with you." He paused before taking a deep breath. Junior's eyes widened upon hearing such a statement, but he refused to interrupt. Larry took another deep breath after the moment of silence, and then explained, "No one probably ever says something to you like what I told you because you can be pretty annoying. Maybe they just don't want you to brag about being complimented, because you seem to do that whenever Bowser calls you anything nice."

There was no way for Larry to make eye contact with Junior at the time of telling him this because he felt horrible for saying it. He glanced up after a moment, and saw that Junior must have been feeling pretty bad about that. He was staring down at the ground with a lack of expression in his eyes. "I know it's hard to hear, and it's also really hard for me to say," continued Larry, hoping that he wasn't offending the other Koopa too badly. "But I just want you to be aware of something that I've noticed."

Junior was wondering as to why Larry would ever tell him something like that. He was somewhat offended, but he was also left wondering as to why one of the nicest Koopalings wouldn't keep something like that to himself. Normally, the last thing that Larry wanted to do was to offend anyone other than the Mario Brothers, but this time was different. Then again, he was being brutally honest. Junior did get a real sensation of self-pride whenever anything good was said about him, and he really liked the feeling of being complimented by someone. He also never received too many compliments from anyone other than his father, and he sometimes longed for even a simple compliment from someone else. He was the youngest, which most likely led him to believing that he was the most important. Maybe Larry was right – Junior did think too highly of himself sometimes, and Larry was just being as honest as any other time.

Larry was able to readily see that he didn't really help Junior in any way. Sure, he was able to open that Koopa's eyes a little, but he seemed to be hurt because of that. This is exactly what Larry didn't want to happen, but it was too late now. However, he still wanted Junior to be more aware of himself because he did get quite annoying sometimes. Larry just wanted the best for his little step-brother, and he never intended to hurt anyone. "I didn't want to hurt you," he then quietly and softly said as he gently patted the top of Junior's head in an attempt to provide comfort. "I just thought you have to know that."

Junior did feel a little better when Larry attempted to comfort him, but he was still left wondering as to why the considerate Koopaling would ever say something like that. Still, that didn't change the fact that Larry was correct and that he was only telling the truth. "I guess," is the only thing that Junior was quietly able to say to Larry. He had to agree because only facts were said moments ago. As much as Junior wanted to deny everything that Larry said, he just couldn't. "You're right," he then quietly said once again. Junior didn't feel like talking very much ever since Larry told him everything, but that would soon pass.

Larry removed his hand from the top of Junior's head after a moment. Probably the best way to make the situation better for Junior would be to leave him alone for a couple minutes. "I'll leave you alone for a bit," he then softly said. "Just come to me if you need anything. I'll just be over here," he said, pointing towards the other end of the small storage room. Unless Junior's personality changed by the time they boarded the airship, he wouldn't want to be alone for more than a couple of minutes before finding Larry. Larry left Junior alone on one end of the small storage room, while he walked over to some shelving along the wall at the opposite end of the room. He looked around, and saw that there was much the same stuff as on the other shelves. Larry knew that Junior always stormed off if he was ever offended by anything, but he would be fine within a couple minutes. Larry would remain on that side of the room where he told Junior he would be. He sighed, hoping that he didn't hurt Junior. "Guess I'll wait here for a little while," he then muttered to himself.

**- 1:15 PM**

Inside the main room of the airship's interior, Lemmy and Iggy were growing increasingly bored. They were talking about many things, drinking soda, and eating chips all at the same time. Neither of then knew where any of their other siblings were; presumably somewhere else feeling quite bored as there was nothing for any of them to do aboard the airship. Ludwig must've been feeling pretty bored as well, but then again, he had the attention span of a judge.

Lemmy pushed his hand into a bag of chips, and pulled a handful out. He passed it over to Iggy who did the same, though taking more because of his larger hands and slightly larger appetite. Both Koopalings were sitting on some wooden crates at the end of the room, and they were the only ones in there.

"I'm getting a bit bored in here," stated Lemmy as he took a swig out of his soda bottle.

"That's probably because there's nothing to do in here," replied Iggy. "Maybe someone will come in and have something that we can do." Iggy was probably not as bored as Lemmy was, which was most likely due to his tiny brother barely having an attention span. He would space out more often than not, and he would also never stop complaining if he was bored. At least he hadn't been bored for much time at this point. "Why don't we go onto the deck?" Iggy then asked. He thought that maybe looking around at the ground beneath them would help pass the time a little quickly.

"Sure," replied Lemmy. In fact, neither Lemmy nor Iggy knew how far along they were in their journey because neither of them took the time to look anywhere outside of the airship. He got up, along with Iggy. Both of them then walked up the stairway that went to the bridge since that was the way to make it onto the top deck of the ship. There was a door part way up that led to the bridge, and that was the one they walked through.

Both Koopalings made it onto the deck after a couple moments. They were able to see that the sky was darkening slightly, and it looked to be a bit foggy out there. "What a bummer," said Lemmy. "It was so nice when we left."

Iggy nodded in agreement. There was a dark cloud in the sky towards the right of the airship, but that looked to be pretty far off. Darkland was way behind them, and they were now over the massive 'Edgelands'. As usual, there was nothing below them except for many trees and the occasional clearing.

Unfortunately, moments later, the airship started rotating towards the starboard side; towards the large dark cloud in the distance. "What is he doing?" Iggy questioned. "He should be going around that." He studied it a bit more. There was a haze along the bottom of the large cloud, which was most likely indicated the presence of rain. The rest of the sky was fair except for that one large patch. "Wait here for a minute," Iggy then said as he looked over at Lemmy. The smaller Koopaling nodded at him. Iggy then walked back through the door that was behind him, and walked up the rest of the stairs to the bridge. Ludwig and Wendy were both in there, the latter of which looked at the tall Koopaling as he walked in. Iggy ignored his sister since she would probably end up saying something about him just being there. He walked over to his oldest brother, and said, "I have a simple question."

Ludwig was staring out of the windshield of the ship, but he took his attention off of that, and turned over to his younger brother. "What is it?" He then asked.

"Why are you heading towards that storm cloud? Shouldn't you go around it?" Iggy questioned, nodding at the large cloud outside the window.

"No need to," said Ludwig in response to his younger brother. He then explained, "That storm is right in the middle of our course, and it's not really that big. It would take longer to go around it than to go through it."

"Whatever," replied Iggy. "As long is we make it back safely."

"We will," replied Ludwig, reassuringly. Perhaps a little too reassuringly, but whatever.

"I'm counting on you," said Iggy. He had a slightly bad feeling about the storm ahead, but there was probably nothing that Iggy would be able to do to change his oldest brother's mind, especially since he was the one flying the ship. "That's all I wanted to know," the tall Koopaling then said to his older brother.

"Alright then," replied Ludwig. Ludwig was sure that his airship would be able to handle the storm ahead, since he had been through some before with the same one. Why would this time be any different if it had been done in the past? He continued flying the ship, confident that his set course would be the quickest one even if it was to get turbulent at some point. "I'll just have to tell them to hold onto something," he then muttered to himself.

Iggy walked back down the stairs at the back end of the bridge, and then back out onto the top deck. He found Lemmy in the same spot that he was when Iggy went inside, and he still had a bag of potato chips with him. "Apparently there's going to be nothing wrong with flying through that one," said Iggy. Something was bothering him about the storm, but he didn't want to make a big deal about it. Doing so would just freak Lemmy out, and he would end up telling the rest of his siblings. Iggy didn't want to have to deal with all of that.

"We'll be fine in there," said Lemmy, completely oblivious to the dangers of flying through a storm. "He has everything under control."

Iggy sighed. "I sure hope so. As long as we make it back safely, then I'll agree to that." In reality, Iggy thought that something was going to happen in there. It may have just been an irrational thought, but flying through the storm didn't seem like the best idea to the smart Koopaling.

"We will," replied Lemmy. He was sure that everything would be alright since Ludwig would never do anything to endanger his family. "Then we can talk about the place we'll be visiting."

"I'll believe that for now," replied Iggy. "Maybe I'm just worrying a bit too much." Lemmy seemed a little too enthusiastic and sure about getting there safely. He seemed to be completely unaware of the dangers that they could potentially be facing. Lemmy was almost always like this, as he never bothered to think things through most of the time, especially if there were multiple risks involved. "Besides, you'll be here to make me stop worrying so much."

"I'll be sure you never worry about this trip again," replied Lemmy, smiling at his younger brother. He saw Iggy smile a bit as their faces met, which probably meant that the taller Koopaling was feeling better about the entire situation upon seeing his brother happy.

"Thanks," is what Iggy had to say about that. Subconsciously, the tall Koopaling wasn't able to stop worrying about the trip that they were on, but he really liked to see that Lemmy was doing anything to make him happy. He then took a deep breath, and hoped for the best. Maybe he was worrying a bit too much, and there wasn't much that could be done to make him stop. At least Lemmy was making sure that everything would be alright with Iggy. "I'll tell you if something's bothering me again," he then told Lemmy.

Lemmy smiled at Iggy, and then looked over the edge of the ship. They were nearing the large storm-like cloud ahead, and they would be in it very soon. Iggy looked over at the same time, and Lemmy caught that. He looked to be worried about the cloud, and looking at it probably made him feel worse about it. "Just keep your mind off of it," Lemmy then said to his favorite brother. "Thinking about it will only make you think about it more."

"Like I never knew that," replied Iggy. He sighed, and decided to take his brother's advice. "I'll talk to you instead," he then said to Lemmy. The small Koopaling looked up at the taller one, and smiled at the response that he received. "We can do that... As long as it's not about that cloud!" Lemmy enthusiastically said to his taller brother. Before Iggy could say anything else, Lemmy interrupted, "How do you like looking at new places?"

Iggy smiled before saying anything. He really liked to do so, and he was glad to see that his brother was keeping his mind off of the storm ahead. "I really like doing that." Both Lemmy and Iggy then leaned against the railing of the airship, and they talked for the next few minutes.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, I'm cutting this one a little short because of timing and everything. I promised to have this up by the weeked, but I overshot that goal by just a little bit. Here's why: I took in WAY TOO MUCH caffeine for two days straight, which made me so jittery that I could barely type anything, not to mention that my mind was not functioning whatsoever. I was busy over the weekend doing things that left me a bit too tired to think straight, so Sunday was a bust (As much as I would like to live my life on the computer, I have a life outside of it!) With school in the way now, I'm not having as much free time as I used to. On top of all that, this is a somewhat long chapter, which contributes to the reason that I'm dividing it into two parts. I'm almost done with the other part, but I didn't want to claim I'd be done in much less time than it took.<strong>

**That's all I really have to say about dividing a chapter into two pieces. As I said, the other one will be up really soon, as it's almost done and I have it all planned out. And, like I said before, REVIEW! Please! I'm getting a whole 'lotta views, but only one review (You know who you are. Thank you!) It's really helpful for me to get reviews because I can see what people think about the story. It would be really kind if you (reading this) took the minute or two to review my story. Besides, I'm spending hours upon hours typing this (30 hours time on this document so far), so a minute of your time is nothing compared to the time taken to write a review. I do that on almost every story I read, so I'd like to see that favor being passed around. It just helps the community out!**

**Alright, I'm done my time and review rant... For the time being! xD I'll be back really soon. The story is going to take its' interesting turn at the end of 'Calm Before the Storm', so keep an eye out for it! **


	5. Calm Before the Storm: Part 2

**Calm Before the Storm: Part 2**

**- 1:45 PM**

Six liters of soda and four bags of chips each, and Morton and Roy were feeling quite full. Sick, in fact. Sure, both of them ate a lot at one time whenever they were able to get the chance, but this moment almost set a new record for the two largest Koopalings. They were both inside of the engine room of the ship hanging out in there. They usually liked to be around lots of noise back home, and when they weren't around it, they were both the ones creating it. The two largest – and most disruptive Koopalings they were.

"I feel a bit sick after all this soda and chips and food and everything!" Exclaimed Morton. He wasn't feeling really bad at all, but not really that great either.

Roy didn't feel too good himself. He felt like he ate way too many chips and drank way too much soda, but that wasn't getting in the way of the 'tough-guy' that he was.

"Maybe we should go outside," suggested Morton. Maybe some fresh air would help him out a bit, since the atmosphere in the engine room was somewhat stuffy and warm.

"Sure thing, bro," replied Roy. They hadn't been outside in quite some time, so maybe they could go out there to see their whereabouts. It had been over an hour and a half since they left the castle, but there were still many more hours to go. Might as well see everything while they were at it.

Roy and Morton then walked out of the engine room of the ship. On their way out, they met up with another one of their brothers who was with their step brother. Roy ran over to the oldest of the pair and picked him up by the shell. He looked over at Morton, and saw that his brown brother ran over to Junior and was holding him up by his shell.

"Put us down!" Junior demanded as he dangled over his large step brother's head since the two large Koopalings had picked up two smaller ones.

Larry was fine with this. In fact, he found it more fun than anything. Roy and Morton always roughed around, so he was used to it. Plus, they were both having a bit of fun while they were at it. Junior, on the other hand, never really liked it when he was picked up by anyone other than Bowser.

"Calm down a bit there," said Larry as he was being held over his largest brother's head. "He'll only hold you up there longer if you complain about it."

Larry was right about that. Morton would hold Junior up there for a little while, mostly because he was much more annoying than Larry, and because he was complaining about it. He never bothered to hurt anyone in his family, but he liked to bother them because it was somewhat funny. Larry wasn't being bothered whatsoever from being held over top of Roy's head, so Roy was most likely doing it to goof around. Besides, the young Koopaling was able to get a better view from up there.

Moments later, and after a bit of protesting from the youngest one, Roy set Larry down on the floor in front of him. Junior was still suspended, but he stopped complaining.

"Where are you guys headed off to?" Larry asked his pink-headed brother once he was standing on the floor.

"We're going to get some fresh air," replied Roy. "Mister sick over there," he continued, pointing at Morton, "Is feeling a bit sick after eating a whole bunch of good food. He wants to go to the deck for a while."

"I probably should go up with you," replied Larry. "I was just in here hanging out with Junior." While they were in the small storage room, Junior and Larry were talking about a bit of everything. Larry helped Junior out at first, but then they found out that they had a bit in common. Talking sooner would have helped both of them out in the past, but it was never too late to make new friends.

Roy, however, smirked at Larry's decision. "Why were you with him?" He then asked a bit loudly. Junior obviously heard that, but he never said anything about it.

Larry replied, "I started talking to him a bit, and I found out that he's actually really nice if you get to know him."

Roy grumped. He knew that Junior was somewhat nice, but he was a bit on the annoying side most of the time. "Maybe I'll have to talk to the little bugger a bit more," he then said to Larry.

"You probably should," said Larry. He turned over to Morton, and then calmly said, "Put him down now. He's been up there long enough."

Morton nodded at Larry, since he didn't want to disrespect his younger brother. The large Koopaling placed Junior down on the ground right in front of him. "I was just trying to have a bit of fun," he then said, attempting to apologize to Junior.

"With me, which is kind of mean," said Junior. He was trying to not make a big deal about what just happened, even though he normally would. Larry told him that that was the reason why none of the Koopalings usually wanted to be around him. He would still have the chance to make things right with all of them by taking Larry's advice. "Please don't do it again," he then said, trying to contain himself. Junior really was annoyed with what Morton just did to him, but he wouldn't dare show it.

Morton nodded and surprisingly didn't say anything after that.

Larry looked back over at Roy, and quietly told him, "I told him that he should control himself a bit more if something bothers him. That's probably why he didn't make a big deal about what just happenend."

Roy nodded at Larry. Perhaps he would try talking to Junior a bit more once they got back to the castle. For now, however, he wanted to explore the new uncharted territory once they got there. "I'll talk to him a bit more once we get back to the castle," he then said to his brother.

"That would be really nice of you," replied Larry. "Even now if you get the chance."

Roy nodded. "I want to go up to the deck," he then said. He was feeling a bit better since he hadn't eaten anything since him and Morton left the engine room, but he still wasn't feeling well enough to gorge himself for a little while yet.

"Let's go to the deck," Morton then said as he heard listened into his larger brother.

"Whatever," said Junior, trying to get to Morton somehow. He then walked over to Larry's side, who said, "Sure."

All four Koopalings then walked to the stairway at the back end of the large main room of the airship. They all walked up, but didn't go to the top since they were only headed for the top deck which was lower than the bridge. Once all three Koopalings made it out there, they saw Lemmy and Iggy standing at the front end of the ship. The walked over to the pair, and waved at them when they both turned back at the same time.

"Hello!" Lemmy enthusiastically shouted at his brothers as they approached. "Where were you guys for the past hour?" He then asked.

"I was with Junior down below, and I have no idea where Roy and Morton were," replied Larry.

"We were in the engine room," replied Morton, walking up to his smaller brothers.

"Doing what?" Lemmy questioned.

"Hanging out and eating chips and drinking pop and looking at things," Morton loudly replied.

Lemmy shrugged. It was not uncommon to hear about his two largest brothers eating piles of junk food. Maybe he would be interested if they decided to do something interesting for once. He looked back over at the storm cloud ahead. Some time had passed since any of the Koopalings paid attention to it. The cloud was growing closer, and there was a hazy mist around the airship. The sky was unable to be seen through the fog. Below the cloud, there was a dark haze that indicated rain. "So much for the really nice day," said Lemmy. It was nice when they left the castle, but they were soon going to be flying right through a rainy storm cloud.

"Why are we even going to go through that storm?" Larry calmly asked.

"Ludwig said that there will be no problems going through there," replied Iggy. He was still bothered about flying through it, but he hadn't been thinking about it much since Lemmy was with him. "He said we'll make it through and he doesn't want to take the extra time by flying around it. It's conveniently right in the middle of our course."

Larry shrugged. "He knows what he's doing," he said to Iggy. "Just listen to him. We'll make it through just fine."

"He's worrying a bit too much," added Lemmy. "I'm sure we'll make it through that cloud soon."

"With nothing more than a bit of turbulence," added Larry. "Stop worrying so much," he then said as he lightly elbowed Iggy in the side.

Iggy sighed. "Maybe you're all right and I'm just wrong."

"That's the way to think," said Lemmy.

"Not really," interrupted Larry. "He's just a bit worried about flying through a storm since it _can _be risky."

"It _is_ risky," Iggy quietly said to his brothers. "I just want everything to turn out alright." Before he could say anything else, his smallest brother jumped in front of him, and then onto him. Lemmy clung onto Iggy, smiling. "We'll be fine, as long as I'm here," he said attempting to reassure his brother. Iggy smiled back at the Koopaling who was holding onto him. He hugged Lemmy back and held him. "I guess you're right about that," he said to his smallest brother while smiling. "Thanks."

Lemmy jumped off of Iggy. He was glad to be able to help his taller brother out, and that's what the small Koopaling did best whenever Iggy was feeling down for any reason. "Maybe we should go inside," the small Koopaling then suggested. He thought that maybe if Iggy were to go inside, then he would most likely stop worrying so much about the storm cloud ahead. Lemmy though that it was all fine, yet something probably wasn't right about that.

"To the bridge?" Asked Iggy as his favorite brother jumped off of him. Lemmy nodded back at Iggy.

"I guess we can all go in there," said Roy. He then felt a rain drop hit him, which translated to the entire group.

"Let's take cover," added Junior as he felt a rain drop hit him. The five Koopalings with him all nodded at him in agreement, so they started walking back to the small door at the opposite end of the ship.

By the time the group of Koopas made it to the other end of the ship's deck, there was rain pouring down from the sky. They all quickly crammed themselves into the narrow stairwell, and then walked up to the bridge which was right up the stairs. Their oldest brother looked back at the group that entered his ship's bridge.

"Should have told you that there was a possibility of hitting some rain on the way there," said Ludwig. "I mean, it's just nature. Once we're past that cloud, we'll be out of it."

"Good," replied Iggy. "As long as nothing happens on the way there, then I won't get mad at you."

Ludwig laughed. He knew that they would all make it there safely, and it was funny to see Iggy worrying about something that he was so sure about as the oldest brother. Ludwig always made sure of not letting his siblings down, and there would be no reason to change that now. "Nothing will happen, bro," he then said. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride in the rain."

Iggy grumped. There was still something at the back of his mind telling him that something wasn't right about the storm ahead. "It's still bothering me," he then said, "But whatever. I'll forget about it when we pass through."

Ludwig smiled. He then said, "That's the right way for my brother to think. I don't want you feeling stressed out about something that's not going to do anything-"

Just at that moment, the eight Koopalings in the bridge of the ship were interrupted by an extremely bright flash across the sky which was accompanied by a loud crack.

"Looks like the storm is out to get us!" Roy shouted after hearing the lightning. "We're going to die here! None of us are going to make it out alive!"

"Shut up!" Iggy shouted at his largest brother. "You're not making this any better!"

As always, Roy was just messing around with Iggy. He never intended to scare the tall Koopaling, but he was too stressed out about the storm to not be scared about it. "I was just joking around, like seriously."

"Whatever," grouched Iggy. Another flash of lightning lit up the fog around them before Iggy could say anything else to his brother. "That's not funny. Just don't do that again," he then said over the shock of the massive lightning bolt. The storm seemed to be worsening as they went onwards, but it was too late now to turn around. They were already on course, so there would be no point in turning around. Besides, they would be at the other end of it in no time.

"Fine," protested Roy, after Iggy demanded that he doesn't pull another joke like that again. Sure, he would leave his brother alone for the time being, but he would probably end up bugging Iggy again some other time... If he ever got the chance to. Last thing he wanted to do was to get into a fight with Iggy over a simple joke.

"Don't start fighting in here or anything," commanded Larry. "I don't want to get into anything because I will do anything I can to stop it," he explained. "I don't like to see my own family fighting each other."

Iggy and Roy probably wouldn't get into a fight, but they would end up arguing over a simple joke until one of them ended up attacking the other. Iggy and Roy both turned away from each other after a moment as to not provoke each other anymore.

"Just simmer down a bit," said Ludwig in an attempt to make his brothers calm down before anything happened between the two. "Arguing about it isn't going to make anything better, now, is it?" The oldest Koopaling then asked the tall one and the large one.

"They're just fine now," said Wendy. "Maybe if they weren't so dumb all the time," she added, "Then they wouldn't have to disturb the peace like that."

Larry shook his head. Unlike the rest of the Koopalings, he was actually willing to do something about the constant comments and remarks that were being thrown around the place. His sister was standing at the end of the bridge next to Ludwig, so Larry walked over there and approached her. Hopefully she wouldn't have a problem with her youngest brother, and she didn't once he got there. Larry looked Wendy in the eyes, and calmly said to her, "You shouldn't put salt in the wound like that, if you know what I mean. It's not nice for you to try making everything worse like that."

"I was **not **making everything worse," replied Wendy. All she wanted to do was to get a little more out of either Iggy or Roy. She never wanted Larry to do anything, and it was somewhat unlikely of him to confront her like that.

"That's still not nice of you to say things like that," said Larry, backing away slightly. Last thing he wanted to do there was to get into a fight with his only sister. "Just keep those comments to yourself," he then said to her, finally turning around and walking back over to the rest of the Koopalings by the bridge's door.

Wendy stood there and wondered why Larry even bothered with asking her to be more polite in the first place. She decided not to say anything about him, since he was pretty nice to her all the time. There was no need for her to try messing with Larry. "Whatever," she then muttered to herself.

The back end of the bridge was a somewhat unspectacular sight to behold. There were six Koopas in total crowding around the door in silence since they were all watching whatever was going on outside the window. At this point, there were rain drops pattering on the glass as if there was no tomorrow. Of course, there would be a tomorrow, but that may be the only one remaining. Seconds later, another flash of lightning lit up the foggy air around the airship. It seemed like this storm would be a thick one to go through.

**- 2:20 PM**

The airship's bridge had been relatively quiet inside for the past several minutes. No one was really talkative inside because they were so focused on the storm happening right outside the window. Lemmy had an empty bag of chips in his hand since he ate every last one of them. Iggy was standing next to his much smaller brother and staring out the window. Ludwig and Wendy were both standing at the helm; the oldest one at the controls, while the younger one was just standing beside her oldest brother. Morton and Roy were both standing on the opposite side of Junior and Larry, who were standing next to Lemmy and Iggy – probably for a good cause – by keeping Roy and Iggy away from each other. They had a slight dispute a little while back, and they were probably fine at this time, but it was probably a good idea to keep them separated anyway for the time being. They were all standing in the bridge in silence if the hum of the engine and the pattering of the raindrops weren't taken into account. The ship's bridge was very quiet if it wasn't for those two factors; nothing was going on inside the walls of it, yet so much was happening on the outside.

Moments later, another sharp crack of lightning flew through the sky, albeit really close to the ship's side this time. This startled every one of the Koopalings inside it.

"I want to go home," complained Junior. Larry was at his side, so the Koopaling grabbed his step-brother's hand, and then said to him, "We'll make it home soon."

Another flash of lightning flew through the sky, though this time it seemed to be a bit farther away from the ship than the last one. This one wasn't as startling to the Koopalings because they were expecting more of them to come, and they already lived through the last one which was much closer.

Larry felt a little scared at this point. He never had any bad experiences with lightning in the past, but he along with the rest of his family were being somewhat shocked by the large storm brewing outside. The sound of falling rain was filling the air; blocking out any other sounds coming from elsewhere in the ship. At this point, Junior was tightly grasping Larry's hand. He, like everyone else in the room, had a bad feeling about flying through the storm. Something about doing so just didn't feel right; something about it felt like the worst idea ever. It seemed like Ludwig had everything under control as the airship was flying smoothly through the air with only some turbulence shaking it around.

The two larger Koopalings in the room were enjoying the storm. Morton broke the silence after a few minutes by shouting, "This is amazing!"

"You're right about that," replied Roy who was at Morton's side. The airship was shaking about as it hit various thermals and drafts in the air, and this was considered fun to the large Koopalings. Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't be living this enjoyment for too much longer.

"Make it go much faster! More speed!" Morton shouted, presumably at Ludwig since he was the one flying the ship. He didn't want to travel any faster through the storm for obvious reasons. The oldest Koopaling turned around, and said to his large brothers, "This is as fast as I'll be going through here. I don't want to make the already bad turbulence any worse."

"Awwe," complained Morton. "I just want the ride to be more interesting!"

Ludwig was about to say something smart to his large brother, but another lightning bolt crashed through the sky, startling all eight Koopas inside the bridge. There was a moment of shock in the air, and then silence. No one made a sound, since that last lightning strike was alarmingly close to the ship.

Moments later, the smallest Koopa in the room made a sound. "I don't really like this too much," he said. "I just want to go back home now."

"Lemmy," interrupted Iggy. His smaller brother was scared, and so was he. However, Iggy did anything he could to make sure that Lemmy didn't see that because that would only stress the small Koopaling out even more than he already was. "We'll be back home soon," the tallest of the pair said to the smallest. "Just give us a bit of time, and we'll be back home." Iggy said this with a slight shakiness in his voice that Lemmy was able to pick up. "I just want to go home," whined Lemmy after hearing what Iggy said to him. He knew that Iggy was only trying to help him out by acting bravely, but that wasn't working on Lemmy. Before they made it into the storm, Iggy was uncertain about it. Lemmy was the one who calmed Iggy down. This time, now that they were in the storm, Iggy could do nothing to calm Lemmy down even though he was the bravest of the pair when they first came across the cloud.

No one made another sound before the next lightning strike went across the sky. This time, it sounded to be very close to the ship. This scared everyone on board since they never heard one that close before. The ship even shook as they heard this one – they felt it because of that. Never had any of the Koopalings ever been inside a storm like that; this was a first time for them; a first time that would probably be the last.

A few seconds after that one massive strike, Iggy quietly said to Ludwig, "Just keep going." Last thing that Iggy wanted to do was to stay in that storm for any longer. It seemed to him that Ludwig was not going to back out of it, so not stopping in the middle of it would be the next best thing to do.

Ludwig turned around. He was slightly stressed. Not about the storm, but rather at his family for pressuring him to do so many things. He wanted to make them all leave the bridge, but at the same time he wanted to have them all there so that he could comfort them if anyone of them were to get scared of the storm outside. He opened his mouth, and then said to Iggy, "I'm going to make it out of here. Just wait. Until then, you're going to have to take into account that there's a large storm outside and we're flying right through it."

Iggy groaned. All he wanted to do was to get out of the storm, but he knew that that wouldn't be happening because his oldest brother was at the helm. If it wasn't for Ludwig always wanting to be in charge, then Iggy would possibly have his way. In fact, some of his brothers would be having their way. Wendy didn't seem to care about the storm. Larry and Junior seemed to be scared of it as well. Ludwig, however, was fearless. The last thing he wanted to do was to change the course because someone wanted him to. All that Iggy could do at this point was to keep Lemmy calm, keep himself calm on top of that, and hope that the airship would pass through the storm without a hitch.

Every single one of the Koopalings, along with Junior, watched outside the ship's windows from their various places. They were waiting for something interesting to happen even though they were all sure that nothing would. Ludwig was even slightly nervous at this point, but he was a little too far into the storm to make it worthwhile taking the time to fly around. All the oldest Koopaling could hope for was the best for him and his family.

**- 2:28 PM**

Seemingly the intensity of the rain had increased, but that may have been a placebo effect due to the silence and tension in the airship's bridge. None of the Koopalings had spoken ever since Ludwig reassured Iggy, but that was only about three minutes ago. This felt like a long time, however, due to the fact that tensions were high in the room. There also was the possibility that the storm was gaining intensity out there, since there seemed to be a bit less light entering the room from outside. There were also quite a few flashes of lightning during the small period of silence, reassuring everyone that the storm was only getting more powerful. There were many smaller flashes travelling throughout the cloud, though these were above the airship – the worst place possible. No one took these flashes into account since they were in the cloud above the airship.

Maybe ignoring everything above them was a horrible idea. Ludwig was able to see that some form of light was coming from above in flashes, but he could not put a name on it. The image was distorted by the raindrops on the glass, but the oldest Koopaling was able to make out the front of his ship through the window. Blue light was reflecting off of the drenched deck as if something was building up right above it. Ludwig felt his stomach turn at the thought that the cloud was right above his ship, but he never said anything about it. Now he hoped that none of the other Koopas noticed anything since that would probably lead more than one of them into panicking. Even the oldest Koopaling was starting to panic, but not enough to make it obvious. He decided that he would just keep that fear to himself in hopes that none of his siblings noticed anything.

Moments later, another bolt of light crashed through the sky. This startled everyone like before, but this time it was even closer than the last large one. About five seconds later, another one. Then another one, and then another one. Each of them drew closer to the ship, causing a moment of panicked silence in the room. Either no one was making a sound, or it was all being drowned out by everything going on outside. Nevertheless, no one was making any sound inside the bridge of the ship, giving the room a very eerie atmosphere.

There was about a minute of silence after the last, really powerful lightning strike. Still, no one made a sound since they were all startled in the bridge of the ship. There was lots of turbulence knocking the large wooden structure about, but it wasn't bad enough to force them to land. Maybe it would've been better if that was the case, as all eight Koopas were about to find out.

_Seems like nothing is going to happen to us, _thought Ludwig. He was incorrect about that, because once he was finished thinking about nothing happening, he saw a very bright flash of blue light reflect off the front of the ship; he heard a loud crack in the sky, and the entire ship shook violently – all at the same time. Screams could be heard around Ludwig – screams of his family who he failed to keep safe. This was it – the large airship was now slipping towards the ground, unable to be saved by the responsible and confident Koopaling.

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><p><strong>Looks like it's all downhill from here! I wish I was able to get this chapter out earlier, but I've been a bit busy lately with school in the way and everything. Oh well, I'm still pushing out thousands of words a week, along with proofreading them and editing so that it can be uploaded. Though I'm still happy at the progress that I'm making. This is probably one of the last chapters that doesn't have much action in it, so be prepared for some crazy insanity in the coming weeks!<strong>

**This was uploaded on the third day of October. If you haven't looked at my profile already, I state that I'm a heavy PC gamer. This month has a bunch of games coming out, so it's probably going to be somewhat unproductive for me. Don't worry about that – I'll still put a considerable amount of time into my writing since I probably enjoy doing this a bit more than I enjoy gaming. **

**I've been getting a couple reviews... Finally. Thank you to those who reviewed it. To those who read the story but haven't reviewed yet, I'll just remind you that you should since it does help me out. I like to see how much people like my story or if anything should be changed on it and whatnot. **

**So, I guess that's all I have to say. There's really no point in me writing author's notes at the end of every chapter, but sometimes I have things to say to my readers. The story should intensify from here on in, and I'm going to have fun writing these future chapters. There's a chance that I'll have the next one out by the end of this week, but don't count on it. The latest will probably be around the middle of next week. Realistically, I should be able to get it out quite soon. Last update was about 4,700 words in four days, which I'm really happy with. **

**I guess I'll see every last one of you sometime at the end of the week or whenever! I can't wait to really get into this story, since I have some interesting things planned for that time. **

**- Pissed off Canadian**


	6. The Final Destination: Part 1

**Chapter 4: The Final Destination: Part 1**

There were moments of absence – visuals that could not be deciphered. Everything seemed to be spinning, yet nothing could actually be focused on. The airship must have been falling rapidly because everything seemed to be weightless. There was this sensation of helplessness – nothing could be done at this point to save anyone, so they all would just have to ride it out.

Consciousness was present once again after few moments. Everyone had been falling long enough to be able to decipher what was going on around them. There were many screams of fear filling the air – screams which he could do nothing about. Ludwig was finally able to see what was going on around him. He blacked out when the ship was knocked around, but it didn't take long for the oldest Koopaling to regain consciousness. He was able feel that the ship was falling quickly, though unable to see anything around him because he was being tossed around all over the floor. Ludwig was truly terrified of what was going on, but he didn't want to accept the fact that he just let his entire family down.

He took some time to think about this as he was falling since there was nothing else that the Koopaling could do until the airship hit something. Before they all left the castle, Bowser trusted the oldest Koopaling in taking care of his son and the rest of the Koopalings. Ludwig knew that they were each going to resent him because of that; he would have to face them the next time he saw any of them. Ludwig knew that as soon as the airship hit something, that he would have to be there for each and every one of his family members that were on the same trip that he was – on the same ship that he was taking them on. He greatly wanted to let them knew that he was sorry for what he just did, but that would have to wait for the time being. All Koopas on the journey would have to all come together to find out what was going on, and to find out what they were each going to do. Maybe this would be Ludwig's last chance of appearing responsible to them. This was the point where he would have to start acting like the big brother – take suggestions from any of his younger siblings if they asked, and not argue about it. Ludwig knew that once he met up with the rest of his siblings once they were all on the ground, he would have to show them that he truly was responsible.

Something then hit the oldest of the Koopalings. He felt as if he was hit really hard and possibly crushed, but there was no pain after that. Everything went somewhat quiet, but then he came back to his senses. All that could be heard were constant bursts of lightning above, and the constant pattering of raindrops on the ship around. There should have been someone else around, but there seemed to be no one. Ludwig didn't feel any pain at this point, so he assumed that the ship must have went down slowly.

Ludwig came to after a moment of blackness, and he could feel that he was all wet and cold, presumably out in the open, along with everyone else. There was too much rain to see anything clearly around, so the rest of the Koopalings would all have to be found. Ludwig was laying on his back, so he rolled over, and then tried getting up. There was a sharp pain in his right knee as he did, but nothing could stop him in making sure that his family was safe. Something must've hit him hard on the way down, but that was too unimportant to think about compared to the task at hand. Despite the pain, the oldest Koopaling got up off of the wet and muddy ground, and proceeded to finding information of his family's whereabouts. While he walked around and observed the area, the Ludwig wondered if the rest of the Koopalings would forgive him for what he did to them. He told them that everything would be alright with the choice of course he took, and he told them that he knew what he was doing. He was so sure that they would make it at the time, but all of that confidence didn't mean anything now. From this point on, Ludwig would have to show that he was the responsible big brother that he always made himself out to be, and he would have to be sure to never hurt or disappoint his family ever again.

Despite the pain in his knee, Ludwig managed to stand up in the rain. He took another look around, and was finally able to see something, albeit not much because of the amount of rain pouring around. The constant lightning flashes weren't doing much good, but at least he was able to get some temporary light while they lasted. The rain water was cold, and there was a very strong wind blowing down on the ground, even stronger than what was up in the air. He was almost being blown over by the wind, but that didn't get in the way of making sure that his family was alright. Ludwig had to find them. They were nowhere to be seen, so he certainly had to go looking for them.

The blue-haired Koopailng then walked around in an attempt to find any of his family members. The massive dark cloud overhead made it a nightmare to try seeing anything. The lighting around him looked to be night time even though it was just the afternoon. The amount of rain pouring down along with the cold wind wasn't helping him out one bit. He was able to see trees everywhere, and then a large building of sorts that was partially collapsed. Upon studying it further, the oldest Koopaling recognized what that large wooden building was – his airship. They were in a small clearing in the woods, and the airship was just on the other side of it. He could barely see the edges of the tree line, but the clearing was pretty small.

Ludwig studied the area some more, but there was no sign of any of his family members. There wasn't much open space in the clearing that he was in, so he assumed that if any of his family members were anywhere, then it would be inside the partially collapsed and crashed airship. It was just a few steps away from him, but he got there momentarily.

The airship looked horrible as Ludwig approached the wreckage. Most of it was caved in, but there seemed to be some parts of it which were intact. Towards the top, he was able to see that the bridge was still intact – with some of it ripped right off of its frame. Who knows where the missing piece went, but that didn't matter. Every last one of the Koopalings were in the bridge with Ludwig as the ship went down, so that was where he would be first searching.

The lower portion of the airship didn't fare so well, however. Most of it was collapsed under the weight of the uppermost levels, and there were massive gashes along the side of it. The ship was never going to fly again, but that didn't really matter at this point. The Koopaling had to make sure that the rest of the Koopalings were alright, along with the king's son.

Ludwig walked right up to the airship after looking at it, and he was able to get in through a large hole that was punched into the side. Treading along the inside of the ship would prove difficult, but it had to be done. There were many beams hanging down, many of which were pegged with nails, but the Koopaling never gave up. He was presumably inside the large main room of the ship, but it was unrecognizable at this point. Most of it was gone, and there was no way to get around easily. Ludwig just hoped that his brothers and sister would be alright so that they didn't suffer coming through this treacherous environment that used to be the inside of the airship.

After the somewhat dangerous trek, the oldest of the Koopalings made it to what felt to be the other end of the ship. There was no light in there, so Ludwig only had the dim light of the storm outside to rely on. There still were lightning flashes happening all the time, and that gave him a moment of light every now and then to see something.

There was another flash of lightning, which lit up the twisted hall enough for Ludwig to see the small staircase that would normally be on the end of the large main room. This time, however, it was at an angle that wasn't perpendicular to the floor, since both of them were badly mangled. The stairs were mostly splinters now, but they would have to make do so that Ludwig could at least get to the bridge.

Even with the thick padding on his feet which all Koopas had, Ludwig had a difficult time treading up the stairway. The stairway seemed to be a much greater length due to this, but that still didn't stop him. In fact, he believed that nothing would be able to stop him because that would mean not rescuing his family – something that he couldn't live with. He had to press on – as long as his family was alright, then Ludwig would be alright. He would have to explain to them what went wrong, but that was nothing compared to everyone else's well being. He had to find them all, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

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><p><strong>Small author's note!<strong>

**I accidentally ripped up the tip of my ring finger, left hand on a table saw today (October 6****th****, 2014). I'm going to continue writing, though probably even more than before for the next little while because my finger doesn't hurt at all when I'm typing for some reason. If it's doing nothing for some time, then it starts to sting. Text from this point on was written with a massive amount of gauze on my hand which keeps getting in the way. That's some dedication right there.**

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><p>Ludwig made it to the top of the stairs after a moment. Every step brought pain to his knee, but that was nothing compared to the pain his siblings must've been feeling. There wasn't too much of the bridge left, but it was the best place for him to look. If anyone were to be anywhere, it would most likely be the bridge.<p>

Once the Koopaling walked into the ruins of the bridge, he took a moment to observe the condition that it was in. The ceiling was hanging down; there were beams hanging down all over the place, but the floor seemed to be intact for the most part.

"Hello?" Ludwig called out over the sound of the rain. There was almost too much noise coming from the elements outside, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Koopaling from being heard. Despite being loud and clear, there was no reply. There may have been no one there, just as there could have been someone there but they weren't able to reply for some reason. Ludwig stuck to the latter since he had to remain optimistic were he to get his family out of there.

"Hello? Anyone?" The Koopaling called out once more. Surely someone would reply, but he found out that no one did moments later. He would have to go looking around if he were to find anyone, and that was his top priority. He finally stumbled through the stairway, and was able to see the front of the bridge – which wasn't there anymore. It had been broken off, presumable when they landed, presumably taking Ludwig with it, and anything around it... Wendy. He shook his head in sadness knowing that his only sister could very well be out somewhere in the woods. Surely, she wouldn't be very far off since Ludwig himself landed not too far away from the ship. There was also the possibility that she landed elsewhere; she may have been flung out the other side, which wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Since he was in the bridge at the moment, however, he would have to search if first for anyone.

Ludwig von. Koopa proceeded further into the remains of the bridge. There was nothing immediate to be seen, but as he looked around, he started noticing more small details around the area. Every single one of the windows were shattered, and there was nothing left of the controls. He looked up towards the front first because he was there when the airship crashed. As he looked around the room, he could barely see anything since there was very little light coming though the mangled ceiling. However, the low light still wasn't enough to block out the vibrant green shaft of something that was positioned in the farther-left corner of the bridge. It was very dark back there, but the old Koopaling was still able to see something back there. He carefully walked over to the corner of the room to avoid much of the glass and wood splinters that littered the floor.

"Iggy?" Ludwig softly called out once he was standing close to the corner of the room. He recognized the shape and color even before he got there, and he was very thankful to see his brother alive. Alright, though? He would not know until they started talking, but nevertheless, one of his siblings was right there.

Iggy looked up at his older brother as Ludwig approached, but he then looked down right away, right to where he was looking beforehand.

"Are you alright?" Ludwig calmly asked. Iggy had a bad feeling about flying through the storm before they even made it there, so there was no doubt that the middle child would be angry in one way or another.

"Leave me alone!" Iggy shakily demanded, just as angry as Ludwig expected.

The last thing that Ludwig wanted to do was to leave Iggy alone. Lemmy was nowhere to be seen, which meant that he hadn't been at the bridge. The small Koopaling would certainly be with Iggy had they seen each other, but that wasn't the case. All Ludwig could hope for was that the smallest one was alive.

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><p><strong>Another small author's note!<strong>

**I took the giant gauze thing off my finger because it wasn't doing much more than pissing me off. Typing is going to me much more enjoyable for me to do now. That means that I'll spend less time being irritated about not being able to use one of my fingers, and I'll be able to spend more time actually writing. This is the day after the idiotic incident. Remember – be careful around mechanical stuff. I think Iggy might know something about that if you read my previous story.**

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><p>At the moment, Ludwig had only one task at hand – to make sure that Iggy was alright. Sure, the Koopaling was still alive, but that did not mean that he was mentally okay. Iggy usually needed someone to talk to when in stressful situations, and that someone would usually be Lemmy. However, Lemmy wasn't there, so that meant Iggy was alone.<p>

Ludwig carefully walked over to where Iggy was sitting in the corner of the room. He knew that Iggy would blame him for the accident, and he would have every right to do so. Ludwig was the one at fault, and he would have to accept anything that his sibling would say to him. However, he had only one thing to do at the moment – to bring his family back together.

"What do you remember?" Ludwig very calmly asked.

"I said to leave me alone!" Iggy shouted back. He didn't feel like talking to anyone since he assumed that something happened to Lemmy who was nowhere in sight.

Ludwig refused to leave Iggy alone. He knew that Iggy wouldn't handle being alone too well in this situation, so he had to help his younger brother as much as he could.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, startling Iggy but not Ludwig. The latter was too shocked at the situation to even care about the lightning anymore. Iggy, on the other hand, shook violently when he heard it. "I don't want to be here!" He then shakily shouted. Seconds later, a tear fell from Iggy's eye. He was truly scared for those around him – mostly Lemmy, and Lemmy was nowhere to be seen.

"Calm down," said Ludwig, speaking as softly as possible as to not scare Iggy even more. "I just want to know if everything is alright," he then reassuringly said to his younger brother.

Iggy shook his head. Obviously nothing was alright since he had no idea where the rest of his family was, or if they were even alive. "**Leave-me-alone,**" the tall Koopaling then sternly said. He then proceeded to tear up, and turned away from his oldest brother.

Ludwig took a step back. He didn't want to get too close to Iggy in the case that he were to snap, but that was unlikely. "I'm just trying to help you out," he then calmly said to Iggy. "I know I messed up, but there's nothing that can be done about that now. We have to work together if we're to make it back home."

Iggy continued staring off into the distance. "You're right," he then quietly and shakily said. If they were to go against each other, then that would only lead to disaster. The Koopalings would all have to help each other out without question if they were to make it back home. Another tear ran down Iggy's snout as he thought about Lemmy some more. Iggy just hoped that his smaller brother was alright, and that they would be back together soon.

"Maybe I should go see if anyone is out there," Ludwig then said above the sound of the pouring rain and flashing lightning.

Iggy nodded, and then turned back away. All he wanted at that time was Lemmy, and it would be great if his brother were to go out and find him.

"If anyone comes here," continued Ludwig, "Then keep them here. Make sure they know I'll be back here soon."

Iggy nodded in response to his oldest brother. He did not feel like getting up and looking around, despite wanting to make sure that the rest of his family was safe. Iggy was too distressed to look for anyone, so he would have to leave that to his oldest brother – the one who caused the crash in the first place. If it weren't for Ludwig, then they would probably all still be up in the air, safe.

Ludwig shrugged, and then turned around towards the mangled stairway to the bridge. He walked back down it, and noticed something that he never noticed on his way up – sky blue down in some twisted beams which were sprawled all over the used-to-be floor. Ludwig moved in a little closer, and he instantly recognized what was down there – his youngest brother.

"Larry!" Exclaimed Ludwig at the sight of his youngest brother. However, there was no response from the Koopaling. All Ludwig could see was the shell, so he crawled down amongst the lumber until he made it to Larry.

"You alright?" He asked, but much like before, there was no response. There was lots of wood in the way, so the larger Ludwig wasn't able to get too close. The lack of light didn't help either. His eyes adjusted to the light after a moment or two, and he was able to see a little more after that time. Larry was being pinned down by a large beam, and he wasn't moving. Ludwig feared the worst, but he had to remain optimistic if he were to rescue his family.

The beam that was in between Ludwig and Larry was not enough to stop Ludwig from getting to his little brother. The oldest Koopaling was certainly not the weakest, so after a moment of struggling, he was able to pull many smaller pieces of wood out of the way, giving him access to the beam that was pinning the unconscious Larry down to the floor.

"I sure hope you're alright," said Ludwig, mainly to bring comfort to himself. He would not be able to live himself if he ever found out that he was responsible for any of his siblings' deaths. He took a deep breath, and then grasped the large thick log that was resting on the back of Larry's shell. He pulled with all his force, and to his surprise, he was able to get the rather large beam moving. Ludwig felt good about this since he was just that much closer to rescuing Larry.

"Once more," the oldest Koopaling then muttered to himself. He pulled once more, but the motivation to free Larry brought more strength to Ludwig. He felt the beam move much more than before, and before he even knew it, Larry was free. He was still unconscious, but at least he was free.

Ludwig leaned into Larry once the younger one was free from the log, and he was able to see that the Koopa was still breathing – good news. He was alive, but he was knocked out by something – presumably the large beam. Because he was free, Ludwig was able to get to his youngest brother and managed to pick him out of the pile of beams.

"Let's take you up to the bridge now," Ludwig then said to Larry even though he wouldn't get any response.

Treading along the inside of the wreckage proved difficult, but it had to be done. Ludwig knew that the sooner he rounded up his family, the sooner he could let them know what was going on and where they were going to go. They couldn't all stay there forever, so there had to be way out. At least, logically there would be a way out of this mess.

Ludwig carried Larry through the wreckage, and he was able to make it to the bridge's stairway without too much of a problem. He then carried his brother up there and onto the bridge – the meeting point where Iggy was supposed to keep anyone if they were to go through.

After Ludwig carefully treaded up the stairs with Larry in his arms, he walked over to where he left Iggy. As expected, Iggy was right in the same place where he was when Ludwig left him there. He approached his taller brother, and then said to him, "I found Larry down in some wood."

Iggy looked up with multiple tears rolling down his snout. He was very worried for Lemmy, but he had to remain optimistic – much like Lemmy would be in the current situation. He didn't say anything to his oldest brother because he only wanted to see Lemmy. Even without any sort of response, Ludwig walked over and then set Larry down next to Iggy where there was no broken glass. "Make sure you talk to him when he wakes up. Tell him that I'm out looking for everyone else," said Ludwig. He knew that Iggy would most likely do that, but he only wanted to make sure. Iggy nodded back at his oldest brother and he was thankful that Larry was fine. "Thanks," he then quietly said amongst his tears.

"I'm really sorry about this," Ludwig replied. He was at fault – the airship crashed because it flew through the storm, and the only reason it flew through the storm was because Ludwig was at the helm at the time. Had it been someone more sensible about the situation, then they would most likely be at their destination at that moment.

Iggy didn't want to make his oldest brother feel any worse about the situation, so he calmly said to his older brother, "It's not your fault." Saying this brought more tears to Iggy's eye, so he looked back down at the floor in front of himself. He then sat there thinking about Lemmy and if he would be found or not.

Ludwig closed his eyes and slowly shook his head, mainly at himself. He never expected Iggy to be so calm all of a sudden since he was very angry before Ludwig brought Larry back to the bridge. Perhaps seeing that one of his siblings was alive brought him enough comfort to be able to come back to his senses. "I'll be back really soon," he then said to his tall green-haired brother.

Iggy nodded back at Ludwig, who then turned around and started making his way to the mangled staircase at the end of the bridge. Upon leaving, he was interrupted by someone – the only one there in the bridge who was still conscious.

"Ludwig," a nervous voice said from the other side of the bridge. The oldest Koopaling turned around to see Iggy staring at him. "What is it?" Ludwig then questioned.

"I love you," replied Iggy. He truly did no matter how much misery the oldest Koopaling brought his family over the past hour.

"I love you too," Ludwig then replied. As with Iggy, he truly did as well no matter how mad Iggy was at him for getting them into the current situation. Both Koopalings then caught each other's smile for a moment before the oldest one walked to the back of the bridge so that he could go back outside to take a look around. He walked down the stairway, and made it to the bottom moments later. It was as tough as ever, but he was still able to make his way down without too much of a problem. Ludwig von. Koopa then walked through the wreckage once he made it to the bottom of the stairs, and he thought of the possibility that anyone else could be trapped in it. First, he would have to take a look outside since one of his siblings may get lost if they were out there for too long, but the wreckage was definitely something that would have to be looked at if someone was still missing after the search.

After stubbing his claw only a couple times on a loose piece of lumber, Ludwig managed to make it to the other side of the ship. There was the large opening there that he originally used to get in, so he approached it and saw that there was someone standing there. Someone large; someone who would do anything to protect his family – Roy. Their eyes met, and Ludwig was able to see that Roy was not happy whatsoever about the situation, and he almost seemed to be staring into Ludwig's soul. There would likely be no conflict, but conflict wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

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><p><strong>Dividing this one up a bit... Again. I've been a bit busy this week, as long as somewhat lazy and unmotivated. I also tore up the tip of my finger on that day – best way possible to end a Monday. Sometimes I'd rather have that kind of Monday than most. I really like to get story updates out frequently, but this week was a bit of a drag for me. Besides, the chapter is already over 4,500 words long, so it's probably best to have it divided up a bit. There's still quite a bit of writing to go into this one chapter, so keep an eye out for that. <strong>

**As far as the story is concerned, it's going to be getting quite interesting from here on in. The Koopalings are going to make an interesting discovery, one that'll disturb them until the day they die... Anyway, this will happen quite soon, possibly in the next chapter; not the next half of this one, however. What a perfect story to be writing in the middle of October. I just hope it's pretty good according to the readers. I'm getting some reviews now, but none compared to the amount of people reading this story. Again, thank you to those who took the time to write a review. It's really helpful having your support, and I also love seeing reviews for any story I write. **

**By the way, my finger is healed enough to type fine at this point. It's not going to be bothering be one bit during this three-day weekend that I have ahead. There's a possibility that I'll have the next half of this chapter out by Monday, which I'd love to do. Then once this one is over with, it's going to get a whole lot more interesting. Remember – I have this all planned out and everything. **

**So, there you go. Hopefully you enjoyed the first part of "The Final Destination". Just the name of the chapter is a pretty big foreshadow. I also hid some sneaky ones within the writing. Have fun finding them! **

**Anyway, I'll write to you guys again within a few days. I'm going to get lots of writing done in this time just because I can. See you later!**

**- Pissed off Canadian**


	7. The Final Destination: Part 2

**Stayed up past 2:20 AM just so that I could get this out to you guys as quickly as possible. Why not? I hope you readers like it!**

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><p><strong>The Final Destination: Part 2<strong>

"What in the world happened?" The burly Koopaling asked as his eyes met with his oldest brother's.

"I didn't take the correct course," replied Ludwig as he looked at the ground in front of him, disappointed with himself. "I should have listened to Iggy," he then said.

"I don't care about what you should have done," Roy sternly said, "But rather about what you did do. We're lucky to be alive, and you're responsible for all of this."

"I know I am," replied Ludwig, looking at the ground in front of him. He then jumped down from the ship's wooden frame, and walked over to his large brother.

Roy was able to see that Ludwig was not the least bit happy about what he did to the ship and to his family. The larger Koopaling wanted to be angry at his brother for causing the accident, but after all, it was just an accident. There was nothing that could be done at this point. Roy morally knew that he had to help out if anything good was to come out of the current situation. However, the large Koopaling also wasn't happy about what his brother did. Instead of taking it out on Ludwig, though, Roy would be able to diffuse his anger by helping his brother out. He would direct all his energy into bringing his family back together, so the large Koopaling said to the oldest one, "We have to get everyone together. Where are they?"

Ludwig chillingly looked towards the ground. He didn't know where more than three of his siblings were, and he knew he would have to tell the truth in order to get someone to help him. "We have to find them," the oldest and most responsible Koopaling then said. "Iggy and Larry are in the ship," he added.

Roy disappointedly shook his head. Even though they were under his protection, his family may have not been totally safe. "I have to help you out," he then said to Ludwig. "We have to find all of them – dead or alive."

"Don't think like that," replied Ludwig. The last thing he wanted to think about was one of his family members getting killed. He did not want to think that way since that would only make him uneasy about the situation. "They're all going to be fine," he then said. "We'll all make it home safe."

"I wish I could say that," replied Roy. All he wanted at that point was certainty about the safety of his family, but he would not be able to have that until he knew whether or not every one of his siblings were alright. "What are we waiting for?" Roy then coldly asked. "Let's get looking for them."

Ludwig nodded at his larger brother. He was thankful that Roy didn't do anything to him since he was responsible of everything, but that was where the thankfulness ended. Both Koopailngs had to begin looking unless they never wanted to see the rest of their family ever again. He then turned around, and studied the area a little more. Before he boarded the wreckage, he didn't have much time to look around since he was so determined to get inside. This time, however, Ludwig was able to get a good look around the place. There were many trees, and he was able to see that the clearing was somewhat large. Had any of his siblings been in that clearing, then they would most likely be at the airship.

"You look that-a-way," said Roy, pointing forward, "While I look over there," he added, pointing behind himself.

Ludwig nodded at his brother, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to get in the way of the large Koopaling, so he decided that he might as well stay out of the way and just do what was necessary to saving his family.

Roy turned around, and then started walking in the direction where he pointed – to the edge of the clearing. Ludwig did the same as his brother, except he went the other way. The oldest Koopaling only wanted to find his siblings, so he would do anything he could to get them all back. They would all be in the airship soon – it was just a matter of time from this point.

As Ludwig walked to the other side of the clearing, he felt that he wasn't alone – as if something was watching his every move. He wanted to know what it was since it didn't feel welcoming, but at the same time he didn't want to find out for that very reason. He continued walking as he didn't want to let anything get in his way, but there was a sensation of uneasiness in the air as he felt that he was being watched. Ludwig thought that he might as well let the feeling pass since he knew that it was just a feeling – there was literally nothing in the woods where they were.

The oldest Koopaling looked around as he walked to the other side of the clearing. He didn't see anything on the way there, but he knew he couldn't give up. The only thing that would get him to give up his search would be if he found the rest of his family. The rain was still cold but the lightning seemed to have stopped. There was a possibility that the weather was getting better, but it was still not clearing up too well. At least anyone who was lost outside wasn't having to deal with the lightning. There was also wind, which only added to the coldness of the rain. Ludwig knew that if he didn't find any of the four missing Koopas quickly enough, then they ran the risk of getting sick from being out in the cold for too much time.

"I have to find them all," Ludwig said suddenly. This motivated him only just, but it was enough for him to keep his head up. He needed all the motivation he could get, so any sort of motivation was welcome. He continued walking, but there was still no sign of any missing Koopas – Lemmy, Wendy, Junior, or Morton. Ludwig feared the most – Morton would most likely be able to find his way back to the ship if he hadn't already; Junior would likely stick with someone in the case that he found someone, but he may not be able to handle himself if there was no one with him; Wendy would likely be able to take care of herself, but not without much complaining; Lemmy may be lost, but he would probably remain optimistic and try his best to find the wreckage.

The oldest Koopaling continued walking along, knowing that he would have to find someone by the time he made it back to the ship. He wouldn't give up so easily; he couldn't let anyone else down. If anything, he had to be the one saving his family so he could prove that he was a true big brother.

There was shrapnel all over the place, which made it possible that one of the Koopailngs was hiding somewhere. They would no doubt be very scared of the entire situation, so Ludwig had to be prepared to look everywhere for them. Calling out for his family members would be pointless because of the constant rainfall around them. They would not be able to hear their big brother, so all he could really do was to look around for them. He still had the uneasiness of not being alone, but he just hoped that that feeling was being brought on by one of the other stranded. He continued walking despite everything going on around him. He had to find someone – he would find someone.

On the other side of the clearing, Roy was still on the search for any of his lost family members. He was thinking much the same way that Ludwig was – he knew that he had to find someone in order to succeed, and Roy never liked to fail. He would have to avoid that feeling by finding one of the other Koopas.

Roy wanted to get out of the rain, so he decided that the sooner he finds one of his family members, the sooner he would be able to go back to the airship to dry off. There was the possibility of staying in the wreckage until the next day, but he knew that Ludwig would most likely wand to leave right away. Then again, who was Ludwig to make a decision like that? He was the one who landed them in the current situation, so he should probably be restricted from making a decision that would affect his entire family. Maybe Roy could talk him into staying inside the airship until the storm died off, as that would at least allow them to have some time to dry off and comfort each other.

He continued walking through the cold rain, along with the cold wind. This was not the place to be, but he had to be there. Roy would do anything to keep his family safe, and finding them in the current situation was of no exception. He had to do anything in his power, even if it meant getting rid of himself. Surely, however, Roy would be fine after the ordeal since the farthest any of his siblings could possibly be was just in the forest which wasn't very far away. Roy would do anything he could to help any of his siblings out, and he knew that he would be able to help them greatly. Whether it meant saving them from something or just making sure that they felt fine about everything, the largest of the Koopalings would provide great assistance.

As Roy walked amongst the wreckage, he studied the shrapnel and parts of the ship that were littered all over the place. This was not the ideal place for anyone to be stranded out in the cold, but they all had to deal with the situation. He wasn't the least bothered about the rain, even though it wasn't pleasant to walk through. He was sure that he would find someone – anyone – anywhere, so he had to remain optimistic. Nothing would be able to bother the strong Koopaling until he was back home with the rest of his family – safe. He was soon to find out, though, that what was reality just hours ago could only be a dream at this point. However, he knew nothing about the future at this point, so he was still able to remain optimistic about the situation. He would be home within the next day, hanging out with his brothers and sister in the living room, and just having a good time.

Roy made it to the edge of the clearing after a moment, and he was happy that he did. He saw a familiar pink color in the tree line as he looked around the area which was only about as tall as the average Koopa. Roy, being the only other Koopling with the color pink on it, whatever was in the tree line had to be his only sister – Wendy.

"Wendy!" Shouted Roy with excitement as he was excited to find any of his family members. Surely she would tell him if she saw anything, and he would have to ask her that very question. The largest Koopaling picked up his pace as he moved in closer to his sister. She was a relief for him to see, even though she was quite annoying most of the time. She was a survivor, which Roy hoped to be the case with the rest of his family, no matter how annoying. Wendy would probably complain about the entire situation, but that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that she was safe and she was alive.

Roy approached his sister, and he could see that she was ready to complain. She angrily stared back at her largest and most protective brother, but that didn't stop him from running up to her and giving her the biggest hug that he had ever given anyone. She was alive, and Roy was very happy to see her.

Wendy, on the other hand, was not so happy to see her larger brother. She tried to back off as he ran up to her, but his grip was too strong for her to get herself out of. Wendy was not the least bit happy about the entire situation, and she really only wanted to get home. Once she was in her brother's grasp, however, the female Koopaling realized how no one had ever been that happy to see her in the past. Normally, any of her siblings would just wave to her as they saw her, but this time was different. Someone was very happy to see her, and she took a moment to think about this.

"I'm so glad you're alright," said Roy. "I thought something happened to you."

Wendy didn't say anything back to her happy brother. She was too caught up in her thoughts about the past since this was the first time that any of her brothers were as relieved to see her as Roy was at that moment. All she could really do from now on was to help them out, and she would have to be sure to comfort them had any of them needed it. After a moment, Roy loosened his grasp on his sister. She was finally able to breathe normally, so she somewhat impatiently asked him, "What happened here? Why did we crash?"

"You were at the front of the bridge when it happened," replied Roy. He remembered that he was with Morton at the side staring out the window, while Wendy and Ludwig were at the front of the bridge. Presumably she was knocked quite a ways out much like Ludwig was. Larry and Iggy were already inside the wreck, so that meant that the rest of the Koopalings really couldn't be very far away. "I don't remember much about what happened during the crash," added Roy. He tried recalling something, but nothing came to mind. The large Koopaling would only have to listen to anything his siblings say about the crash.

"I don't remember much other than being thrown out of the ship or something," replied Wendy. "Next thing I knew," she added, "I was near the trees over here. I stood underneath one because I don't want to get wet!" She then whined. If there was one thing that Wendy was really good at, it was whining and complaining about everything to everyone.

"Let's just go back to the ship," suggested Roy. He wanted to be done with his sister's complaining, and he also wanted to get back there so he could see how the rest of his family was doing.

"I don't want to walk through the rain," replied Wendy. The rain was still pouring down vigorously, which put Wendy off. She was already cold, so the last thing she wanted to be was cold and wet at the same time.

"Come on," replied Roy. "You can dry off in the airship."

"It's not all broken and everything?" Wendy questioned.

"Some of it is still there," replied Roy. "Now come on, let's go there so you can dry off."

"Whatever," grouched Wendy. She was more concerned about her well being than she was of her brothers, but that was normal and could be seen with her all the time. Normally, Wendy would be more concerned about herself than she would be with any of her brothers. In her mind, everyone else could wait, and apparently everyone else was also really patient.

Roy nodded at his sister and was glad that she agreed to him. Both of them then turned around, and started walking towards the remains of the airship. Nothing could really be seen because of the excessive rain, but at least they were able to find their way around in the little light that there was. Even though the time was in the middle of the afternoon, barely anything could be seen due to the rain and the massive cloud overhead. It seemed like dusk outside due to the horrible weather.

Both Roy and Wendy made it back to the wreckage moments later. They didn't need to take much time walking since the wreckage wasn't very far away from the tree line. Once the Koopalings were back there, they tried finding a way up.

Roy studied the wreck for a moment. There was the large hole in the side which Ludwig jumped out of when both of them met up, so Roy decided that that particular gash was as good as anywhere to get into the ship. After all, they only had to make it to the bridge which wasn't very far from the hole.

"Come with me," Roy then said. His sister nodded at him, and then proceeded to jump through the large gash in the side of the ship. She then began following Roy, who was now carefully treading along many broken beams inside what used to be Ludwig's airship.

Ludwig thought he saw something move off in the distance. There was a twisted piece of metal wherever it was, and whatever it was may be underneath that large piece of metal. Friend or foe, Ludwig would have to take a look at whatever it was. He was reluctant to because of the feeling that he wasn't alone, but maybe that was coming from one of his siblings. Besides, it was only a feeling – he could not be sure until he took a look.

The oldest Koopaling then slowly walked over to the large twisted sheet metal that was laying in the middle of the clearing. It wasn't very large, so only something small could fit underneath.

As Ludwig got closer to the sheet metal, he guessed that it was something off of the ship's structure. He couldn't put a name on the piece, but it must have been covering some wood on the exterior. He didn't make a sound as he approached, and the constant rain helped to block out any sound that he made. Every single one of the raindrops could also be heard bouncing off the metal which helped the Koopaling keep quiet.

Ludwig approached the metal with caution. He was now almost able to touch it, and something was telling him to be careful. He didn't know what it was, but possibly the feeling of not being alone made him that much more cautious.

Once the oldest Koopaling was standing right next to the twisted piece of metal, he slowly peeked around it as to get a look at whatever was underneath. He was shocked at what he saw – he was not alone there. Under the piece of metal was Ludwig's younger brother; trembling with fear; covered in cold rain water; in need of someone.

Ludwig felt horrible about the sight ahead. "W-What are you doing in here?" He then confusedly asked. Ludwig was confused as to why Lemmy didn't go to the ship. This was not the time for questions, however. Ludwig put out his arms which caused Lemmy to back off slightly; slightly deeper underneath the piece of twisted sheet metal. He did not reply, so Ludwig softly said, "Come here," as he held out his arms for the small Koopaling. Lemmy shuddered momentarily, and then started crawling out from underneath the twisted metal. Something was definitely bothering him; something that wouldn't be discovered until later.

Ludwig picked Lemmy up by the time he crawled to the front of the metal covering him. Ludwig wasn't able to see much in the dim lighting, but he certainly was able to see the fear in Lemmy's eyes – wide, tearing heavily, and red. The entirety of the small Koopaling was shaking. He needed to get back to the airship so that Ludwig could find out what was up with his smallest brother, and so he could see Iggy. The small Koopaling was now holding onto Ludwig as tightly as possible. He was scared of something, but something unknown.

"How come you didn't go to the ship?" Ludwig asked his crying and shaking brother as they both stood in the rain hugging each other. They were both very glad to see each other, except only one was scared out of his mind.

Seconds later, after not getting a reply, Lemmy finally managed to bring something up. He shakily said to his older brother, "I-I-I saw... Saw something!" It took Lemmy a lot, but he was finally able to speak. He didn't know what he saw, but it wasn't a Koopa, that's for sure.

"It could be anything," replied Ludwig, completely sure that it whatever Lemmy saw may have been an animal of sorts. "Let's take you back to the ship," he then said before Lemmy could say anything else about what he saw. "Iggy's waiting for you there."

Lemmy instantly eased up at the mention of Iggy – his best friend and favorite brother. There was a possibility that Iggy would be able to better understand what Lemmy saw. He did see something, but he had no idea what it was. He would only be able to explain to the rest of his family in hopes that they would understand at least something.

The oldest Koopaling tightly held onto his trembling younger brother. He had to take Lemmy back to the ship to reassure his siblings that one more was alright. Besides being scared by something, Lemmy was doing just fine. He started walking, and nothing would be able to stop him until he made it back to the wreckage.

Roy and Wendy made it to the back of the airship after a few minutes where the stairway to the bridge rested. It took both of them quite a bit of time to get through because of the condition of the inside of the ship, but that was not enough to stop the two determined Koopalings. Surprisingly, Wendy didn't do much complaining on the way there. She was probably too irritated about the situation to complain about it. Roy just wanted to see how his other brothers were doing, so all he wanted to do at that time was to get inside the ship's bridge.

"Come on, quick," he then said, trying to rush his sister. "Let's go to the bridge where everyone else is supposed to be."

Wendy nodded at her brother. She, too, wanted to see how some of her family members were doing, despite them being quite annoying towards her in the past. At least there was no rain in the interior of the airship.

Both Wendy and Roy then made their way up the small set of stairs at the end of the airship. The stairs seemed to be all over the place, but that didn't stop the two Koopalings from making their way up after a couple moments. Once they made it up there, neither one of them was able to see anything more than a large gaping hole where the front of the bridge used to be.

"This is sure interesting," said Roy as he stared at the large gap. "Something used to be there, but it's nothing more than a hole now."

"Thanks for telling me that, mister know-it-all," replied Wendy. She was irritated about the entire situation, and Roy's cheap joke never made anything better. She then stepped up next to her brother. Both of them then stood there at the top of the stairs, unable to see anything more than the massive hole in the wall. Their eyes had not adjusted to the light just yet, but that would change with a bit of time.

Both of them stood for a moment, but they were then interrupted by something running towards them, but it then fell over and tumbled the rest of the way, landing right next to Wendy. Both Wendy and Roy looked down at the ground, and they were able to see that their youngest brother was sprawled across the floor, and he wasn't moving. Roy kneeled down in front of Larry while Wendy stood aside. She didn't want to get in Roy's way.

Larry moved after a moment as Roy kneeled down next to him. "You alright?" The much larger Koopaling then asked. Larry looked up at his brother, quickly shook his head to clear his mind, and then nodded. "I'm fine, I think," the youngest Kooplang then said. Roy looked up, and saw that Iggy was standing right behind the spot were Larry was on the floor. "I think he's still a little out of it," he said.

"What happened to him?" Roy questioned the taller Koopaling.

Before Iggy could reply, Larry put his hand up and then pushed himself up so that he was sitting on the floor. The youngest Koopaling then explained, "I was trapped or something, and something hit me really hard." Larry then placed his hand over the left side of his head, and continued, "It really hurt."

"It wasn't that bad," replied Roy. No matter what, he still had to show off the fact that he was the strongest one out of the seven Koopalings.

"He's still a bit messed up because of it," interrupted Iggy, "So it was pretty bad." He then patted the top of Larry's head in an attempt to make his brother feel better.

Iggy was glad to see that Roy and Wendy were back, but he was still thinking about Lemmy. What if he wasn't alright? What if he was lost? Questions that couldn't be answered for a little while ran through his mind. He would find out if Ludwig found Lemmy or not as soon as he got back. However, Iggy decided that he might as well stick to the bright side of things for the time being. "I'm really glad you two are okay," he then said towards Roy and Wendy. Both of them smiled in response to Iggy since it was nice to see that Iggy was doing alright despite the odd turn of events.

"I just want to go back home," Wendy then protested after a moment.

"We'll be back home soon, sis," replied Larry as he got up off of the floor. He would be feeling just fine if it wasn't for the constant pounding in his head and occasional fits of dizziness. He stumbled momentarily, but was able to regain his balance.

Wendy cracked a slight smile at her youngest brother. She then asked him, "Where is everyone else?"

"Lost or something," replied Larry, with slurred speech. He moved over right next to Wendy, and then explained to her, "I was trapped inside the ship, and Iggy said that he woke up in here after blacking out for a minute or so. Then you were outside or something, so I'm guessing everyone else is outside. I guess we'll just have to ask everyone once they come up here."

"I was way outside of the ship," interrupted Roy. Wendy, Larry, and Iggy all looked at him. He then explained to them, "Ludwig went out looking for anyone which is why he's not here at the moment. We'll just have to wait for him to come back before asking too many questions."

"I just hope he finds everyone," added Wendy. "Then that means we can go home as quickly as possible."

"Except we can't," interrupted Iggy. "We still have to find out where to go, since we're kind of in the middle of nowhere."

Wendy sighed. All she wanted to do was to go home to rest for a while, but that was something that she would only ever be able to dream about at this point. "Let's just talk to Ludwig once he gets back."

Iggy's head dropped down at the mention of his oldest brother's name. Sure, Ludwig did comfort him and bring Larry back, but he was also the one at fault since the airship would most likely be intact had they not flown through the storm. Iggy had to avoid thinking negatively about any of his family members for the time being since they all had to stick together. "I think we should all discuss this," the tall Koopaling then said. "I don't want to have to go by only one decision from now on since you see where that took us."

"You can't blame him for that," interrupted Larry. "He thought he knew what was best, and he thought we would be able to make it through without a problem. We should all discuss what we are about to do, but you don't have to blame anyone because of a mistake they made."

Iggy listened to Larry's words. Larry was usually the most logical when it came to making decisions, and he was also very forgiving if the wrong decision was made. "You're right," Iggy then replied, lifting his head up. He then said to everyone in the bridge, "I'm going back over to the corner." He then walked back over to the dark corner where he was originally, and the rest of his family followed him there. It seemed to be the only place in the bridge that had seemingly no wind in it, which made it the only place where the thoroughly soaked Koopalings could dry off. There was also seemingly less noise in that corner of the room which would make for a decent place to plan out where to go. They had to come up with a plan since they couldn't just start walking in one direction and expect to find somewhere they could go.

Iggy sat back down on the floor in the same corner as before, and Larry sat down next to him. Wendy and Roy both stood in front of Larry and Iggy. There was a moment of silence since they didn't have too much to talk about at the time. They were all to occupied thinking about where they would end up to talk about anything.

Iggy knew that they were quite far away from Darkland, and they might have been closer to the Mushroom Kingdom. There was a possibility that they could go there for help, but he had to talk it over with his oldest brother. Ludwig would be the only one who really knew their whereabouts which would make him a big help in getting back home – if that were ever to happen.

Larry was only thinking about one thing at the time – the safety of his family. He knew that some of them were out there in the open, and the worst part about that was that he had no idea where some of his family members were. Sure, Larry was glad to see the ones who were with him in the ship, but he was still very much worried about the rest of his family. More than anyone else, Larry was thinking about Junior. They started talking when the airship was in the air, and Larry managed to help Junior out by kindly telling him about the way he acted. He hoped to get back to the king's son soon so that they could talk about what happened. Maybe Junior knew more about the area than anyone else did since Bowser more than likely told him about the expedition ahead of time – more so than any of the other Koopalings. He just wanted everyone to be fine in the end, and the rest of the Koopalings really liked Larry for that very reason.

Roy wasn't thinking of much at the time. He wanted to go out and help find more of the Koopalings, but at the same time, he wanted to be with the ones in the airship to protect them from anything harmful if something were to come. He was seen as the large protective brother, and he would go out of his way to prove that. Roy then looked down at Larry and Iggy, and smiled at them even though they were not looking back at him. Both of them seemed to be mesmerized in their own thoughts, so Roy decided to leave them be.

Wendy, much like Larry, had only one thing on her mind at the time – she wanted to go home, much unlike her youngest brother. She was only thinknig about home at the time – the only place where the only female Koopaling really wanted to be. Wendy thought that she would be home eventually, but she was incorrect about that. No one knew this at the time.

After sitting and standing around for what felt like several minutes, the four Koopalings in the bridge were interrupted by something coming from what used to be the back end of the room. They were able to hear a familiar voice sniffling along with another familiar voice saying something which was too quiet to be heard. They all looked back over at the narrow staircase at the back of the room, and someone came through – Ludwig Von. Koopa. He was carrying something much smaller in his arms and holding it tightly – Iggy recognized who this was right away. He got up, along with his two other brothers and sister, and they all walked over to their oldest brother. Ludwig looked back at them, and started walking towards the rest of his family. They all met up in between the quiet corner and the staircase, and Iggy was the first one to get up there.

Iggy was thoroughly excited to see Lemmy. He was worried about his best friend and favorite brother for the entire time, and he was now here. "You're fine!" He then exclaimed. The tall Koopaling ran over to his oldest brother so he could take a closer look at Lemmy. Lemmy only looked back at Iggy with the widest eyes that he had ever seen on the small Koopaling. He was obviously terrified of something, and Iggy was wanting to find out what it was.

Ludwig carefully set Lemmy down on the floor, who then ran over to Iggy as quickly as possible. Iggy kneeled down in front of his much smaller brother, and they both hugged each other tightly.

"I'm so glad you're alright," said Iggy as his head was over Lemmy's shoulder. Lemmy didn't say anything, but his sniffing turned into full-out bawling. Lemmy sobbed over Iggy's shoulder with the clear image of that thing still in his mind. He was thinking about the way it looked back at him, even though he was barely able to see any of it. Lemmy only hoped that he would never have to see it again because it was one of the most terrifying things that he had ever seen. Moments later, Lemmy finally built up the courage to say something about whatever he saw. If anyone were to actually listen to him, it would be Iggy. "I... I saw something," Lemmy quietly whispered into Iggy's ear.

"What was it?" Iggy questioned. He was concerned for his brother since there was no doubt that whatever Lemmy saw was terrifying for the small Koopaling. However, Lemmy couldn't think of anything to say since he only was able to catch a short glance in the dark. However, whatever it was did stare at him for some time, and that was enough to unsettle the small Koopaling. The entire situation with the crash and the storm wasn't helping ease his mind one bit. "I-It l-looked at... Me," Lemmy finally whispered to Iggy in response. "It was... S-Scary..." Lemmy was still trembling, and speaking to anyone proved difficult.

Iggy could almost feel the fear that his brother was experiencing, so he hushed Lemmy and then softly said to him, "It's alright. It could have been anything. The only thing that matters right now is that you're safe, and you're here with me."

The tension in Lemmy's body eased up. Iggy was always quite good at comforting Lemmy, and this time was no exception. Lemmy knew he had to remain optimistic if he were to make it through the situation. He then held onto Iggy even tighter than before, and was grateful for his brother's company. "I guess..." Lemmy then sobbed after a moment.

Iggy smiled. He knew he'd be able to support Lemmy throughout the situation until they got back home. From there, they could get their lives back to normal. He grabbed his smaller brother a little more tightly, and then enjoyed Lemmy just being there. Lemmy and Iggy were truly inseparable, and nothing would ever be able to tear them apart.

Lemmy and Iggy were so mesmerized by each other that they didn't take any notice in their two other brothers – one direct, and the other one just a step brother. Morton and Junior made it into the bridge of the airship a couple minutes after Ludwig and Lemmy arrived, and they both seemed to be glad to be there. They were now safe, and not out in the open. Of course, since Morton was there, the room couldn't stay very quiet for very long. If it wasn't for the raging storm outside, then the room would have been able to be considered as quiet in the sense that there was no one making much additional noise in it.

"Looks like we made it back here!" Exclaimed Morton as he walked into the bridge while holding Junior's hand.

Larry ran up to his brothers; one older, and one younger than him, and he asked them, "Where were you guys?" Most of all, Larry wanted to know what happened to Junior.

"I found him along the side of the ship," replied Morton as loudly as ever.

Junior shook his hand away from Morton's, who was still loosely holding onto his, and then walked over to Larry. "He just kind of found me," he then said to his newly-found friend.

"It's a good thing you're all here, as that's the only thing I was really worried about," Larry then said.

Everyone in the room smiled when they heard that their youngest brother was doing his best to remain supportive. Despite everything turning out the way it did, Larry still did his best to keep everyone happy. He was always the supportive one in the family, and he did his best at all times to assure that every one of his siblings had someone to talk to.

Ludwig was also doing his best to be supportive of everyone despite being the one who caused the wreck in the first place. He knew that he had to do everything in his power to ensure the well being of his family, and he would not stop now. He stepped aside from the grouping of his siblings that was crowded around the door, and announced to them, "We have to think of a strategy to get back home."

Everyone turned and looked at him, so he asked the group, "What should we do? Should we go look for help? Should we stay here for a little while since it's dry and probably the safest place we can be? We have to come up with a group agreement this time around."

There was a couple moments of silence before Roy said, "If we go looking for help now, then we can find someone and potentially get back home sooner." Roy suggested leaving right away despite thinking otherwise earlier. He just wanted to get home – safe.

Larry argued, "But leaving now would mean that we're still all a little shocked. If we at least wait until the rain stops, then we won't have to walk in it, and that will also give us some time to relax at least a bit."

Ludwig nodded at both of his brother's options. He promised them a group decision, but he personally liked Larry's option a little more so that they could avoid the rain while they were on the lookout for help.

"I like what Larry said," said Lemmy in between sniffles. He was still shocked about the entirety of the situation, and he liked the idea of having some much needed time to relax.

"I like Roy's," announced Wendy. "I just want to get home even if it means getting rained on."

Larry walked over to his sister. He then explained to her, "The storm should pass soon. I think we can stay here and talk for a bit. That will help us all relax, since it's obvious that none of us are really ready to walk around in the woods."

Lemmy wanted to describe to everyone what he saw as best he could, but he doubted that they would believe him. He then pictured the thing in his mind – stalky, sturdy build, and hunchbacked. He didn't get much time to look at it, and that was further obscured by the clouds, but his brief vision of the thing was enough to terrify him. He thought that they would be able to avoid it, that it would just pass by if they were to wait in the airship. He was correct about it passing by, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't run into it ever again. "I just want to stay here for a bit," Lemmy then announced.

"I can get some food from down below," said Morton. He remembered the bags of chips and bottles of soda that he and Roy brought along, and they were almost certainly still down in the crushed remains of the ship. "I think we should all stay here. At least we'll have something to eat."

"That will help ease our minds or something," said Iggy. "I think we should stay."

Slowly, everyone in the group nodded at their oldest brother in agreement to their youngest. Spending some time together would most certainly ease some tension that was built up, and that would be crucial to ensuring the well being of the seven Koopalings and Junior.

Ludwig cleared his throat after everyone nodded at him, and he then announced to his siblings, "Looks like we're staying here for a little while. Let's just hang out until the storm clears, and then we can find some help."

The rest of the Koopalings nodded at Ludwig. As soon as the storm cleared, then they would leave the wreckage to find someone – anything that could aid them in returning home. Little did they know that anything but help was out there.

* * *

><p><strong>So that was the second part of "The Final Destination". This chapter is massive as so much happens in such a short amount of time. There's going to be a really small chapter after this, preferably less than 2,000 words, and it's only going to describe what happens when the Koopalings wait the storm out – what they talk about and find out about each other (no 'sexy' stuff, as I'm not into writing that sort of material). It's going to be more of a family relationship building chapter which is the main reason that it's going to be so small compared to the other one.<strong>

**Once the next chapter is complete, the Koopalings are going to be out in the open with no one to protect them except each other. Will they be able to fend for themselves? Will they find help? Hopelessness? Only time will tell!**

**If you've made it this far already, then I'm going to assume that you're going to continue reading the rest of the story. If not, then that's just fine since everyone likes what they like. If there's anything you want me to know, then please leave me a review. I'm still not getting many of those, though I guess that's fine because this story will always be here for people to read. Still, I just want to know how my story is. If there's no feedback on it, then how am I supposed to know what people think about it? **

**Thanks to the people who have reviewed, and it has all been positive so far. I'm really happy to see that you're all enjoying this story.**

**By the way, nerve damage in the messed up finger. Hurts like a mother if I hit the edge of a key. Luckily, that rarely ever happens, but it still does. **

**That's about all I have to say before this note turns into a letter. See you later! **


	8. Bad Decisions

**Chapter 5: Bad Decisions**

The rain was more moderate at this point. It had died down over the past half hour, but still seemed to be a little too harsh to wander out underneath. Nothing much was going on inside the remains of the bridge due to the subtle shock that everyone was still experiencing from the crash. Everyone was sitting in the only acceptable corner of the wrecked bridge, but they weren't interacting much. All that mattered at the time was that everyone was safe, and that they were all together. There was nothing to worry about; they were all safe in the shelter of the bridge, and they wouldn't have to leave for a little while yet.

A little while ago, Morton had brought up the chips and soda from below, but no one had touched as much as one crisp as there was too much on their minds at the time. However, everyone was dry, and they were all warm enough to not be uncomfortable. There was almost no wind in the corner which everyone was in, and that was enough to bring everyone in said corner enough comfort to not be so terrified of everything.

Lemmy was probably the most terrified out of the Koopalings at the time. He still had the image of whatever was in the woods clear in his head no matter how much he tried to flush the image out. He wanted to say something about it, but he only guessed that his siblings would ignore him and think that it was just something else. He knew he had to tell everyone, but he didn't know when would be the best time. His efforts to protect his family would be made useless if everyone blatantly ignored him. Lemmy knew he couldn't let that happen, so he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly in an attempt to build up some confidence. Maybe he would be able to convince everyone to listen to him. Lemmy was concerned about the well-being of his family at the time, and the last thing he wanted was to be followed by something. The small Koopaling had no idea what that thing was, but one thing was for sure to him – he never wanted to see it again. He knew he would have to say something, mostly for his own sake, and for the well being of his family.

Iggy was sitting right next to Lemmy on the floor, and he noticed that something was worrying his older brother. Iggy knew that he had to ask about what was bothering Lemmy. The smaller one was sitting on the floor with his arms around his knees, and he was blankly staring at the floor with a slight hint of fear in his eyes. Iggy slid over to the right so that he could be a bit closer to Lemmy. He then leaned into his brother, and asked quietly asked him, "Everything alright?"

Lemmy peeked over to the left towards Iggy. His brother was close to him, but they were too close to everyone else as to not be heard. Lemmy really wanted to tell Iggy about the image in his head that was bothering him, but he remembered Iggy telling him that whatever it was could have been anything. Lemmy didn't want the same thing to be said to him twice, so he subtly nodded his head.

"Just making sure," said Iggy once he saw his brother nod his head. He decided to take Lemmy's word for it – he wouldn't try forcing anything out of his brother just in case there wasn't anything bothering him. At the same time, however, Iggy really wanted to help Lemmy out just in case there was anything wrong with him, but it seemed as though he would have to wait for that opportunity.

Lemmy looked back over at Iggy. His taller brother seemed to be quite happy at the time considering what happened around them not one hour ago. Iggy stared back over at Lemmy with a worried expression on his face. He was certainly concerned for Lemmy, but he had no idea what his older yet smaller brother saw. Lemmy was easily able to tell that Iggy was worrying about whatever he was thinking about, and he knew that it would be wrong of him to leave his brother wondering like that. The small Koopaling took another deep breath in an attempt to ready his mind for what to tell Iggy. Iggy had to know about what Lemmy saw, so he would have to try his best to explain.

"Iggy," Lemmy quietly and suddenly said. Lemmy thought that he might as well tell Iggy now so that he wouldn't have to later. He then quietly continued, "That thing I saw..."

"What about it?" Iggy quietly questioned. He was ready to listen to Lemmy and to do whatever was necessary to make his smaller brother quit worrying.

"I just have a bad feeling about it," Lemmy then replied. "It was... Strange to look at... I don't want to see it again."

Iggy tilted his head. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary while he was in the airship, and he knew that there was barely anything interesting in the land they were stranded in. This area consisted mostly of trees, forest, and some small lakes. Perhaps Lemmy just saw the outline of something, and it looked to be something else. Regardless, Iggy knew that he would have to listen in order to make his tiny brother feel better about the entire situation. Curious as to what the thing looked like, Iggy softly asked Lemmy, "Think you can describe it to me as best as possible?"

"I think," replied Lemmy, closing his eyes. He came up with a picture in his mind; the dark form, the slouch of it; the stare. He began describing it as thoroughly as possible. "Hunchbacked, dark; probably about the size of Roy, maybe a bit bigger. It was looking at me or something, but it was pretty scary." Lemmy's face tensed up as he described the thing to Iggy. He didn't want to think about it at the time, but he also wanted to make sure that Iggy knew what was going on with him. "It was in the trees... A bit hard to see. Maybe it saw me, maybe it didn't."

Iggy listened in. Lemmy opened his eyes moments later, and Iggy could see a slight expression of fear in his brother's face. He leaned over towards Lemmy, and wrapped his arms around the small Koopa. Lemmy was shaking slightly, but that soon stopped when he was wrapped in Iggy's warm embrace. Lemmy then continued, "I just don't want to see it again. Whatever it is, I hope it's gone now."

"It's not going to bother us," Iggy then said to his smaller brother. They both held each other tightly for a moment. "There's seven of us, and one of it," Iggy then softly said to Lemmy. "Let's just focus on getting back home from now on, alright?"

"Sure thing," replied Lemmy. Iggy then let go of him, and Lemmy did the same.

Iggy then said to Lemmy, "Maybe you might want to tell everyone about what you saw out there."

"I think we'll be fine," replied Lemmy. Talking to Iggy did wonders all the time for the small Koopaling, and this time was no exception. Lemmy was very worried about whatever that thing was beforehand, but not anymore. Iggy was able to comfort him enough so that he wasn't worrying anymore, and so that he just felt better about the entire situation. From now on, Lemmy would probably be able to forget about the thing, and he would be able to make it home with the rest of his family without worrying about anything else. They would only have to worry about danger whenever they faced it, and knowing the population of the area they were in, such danger would be almost non-existent. Besides, there were many Koopalings there, and each one of them had some experience in fighting the Mario Brothers. They would more than likely have no problem fighting off one individual, which made the thought of getting home more prominent.

Iggy and Lemmy then sat beside each other, each one of them content about being able to comfort the other one. No one else in the room seemed to have noticed Lemmy and Iggy talking privately which would keep the peace. Neither Lemmy nor Iggy knew for sure how the rest of their family would react knowing that there was some sort of unknown and scary creature out there in the woods with them, so it was probably best to keep quiet at that time.

More time had passed. Barely any interaction between the Koopalings was going on inside of the broken bridge. Sure, some of them did share various words, but the room was still very much silent. The rain outside seemed to have died down ever farther which meant they were all closer to leaving. Someone particular in the wreckage was noticing the bettering weather outside. They would be well on their way soon, so he had to make that clear to the group.

Ludwig was sitting against the wooden wall of the wreckage, thinking about what he could do next for his family. He made the decision to tell them that they would be leaving soon. The oldest and supposedly most responsible Koopaling then got up off of the floor, and walked over a small distance so that he was able to see the entire group that made up the rest of his family.

Ludwig stood very near to the rest of the group, and he cleared his throat. Seven faces looked up at him at the same time, all willing to listen.

"As you guys might be able to see," the oldest Koopaling began announcing. "The weather outside is getting a bit better. I suggest trying to get some rest here for a little while until the rain completely stops, and to get your minds in order. I'm sure you're all still a little bit shocked about the crash, but all we need is some time to fix that. A couple hours should do, and then we can get out of here. Maybe a bit sooner; maybe a bit later. It all depends on how we all feel. Do you guys agree to that?"

The seven Koopalings who were sitting on the floor looked around at each other momentarily – some slowly nodding at each other; some quietly mentioning things to one anoteher. Moments after, every one of them looked back up at their oldest brother, and then slowly nodded at him. Ludwig nodded back at his siblings, and then walked back over to the spot where he was sitting. He sat down there, while slowly saying to himself, "We'll leave, we'll find help, and we will make it back home by tomorrow evening."

The oldest Koopaling then smiled at himself, and closed his eyes as he leaned his back against the wooden wall. They would all be home safe soon in his mind, but sometimes his mind was incorrect.

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><p><strong>So here's a somewhat important chapter in the story even though it's very small. I overshot my length goal, but that's just fine. I wrote all of this within a couple hours, so I hope it was pretty good. Lemmy made the wrong decision – again. The 'thing' he saw plays a key roll in the story. What it does? I'm not telling you... Until later!<strong>

**So, I might as well get this out there: I've been a bit obnoxious about reviews in my past author's notes, and that's because barely anyone seems to review. It's not needed at all, since I know many people read this due to the traffic graph, but they're quite supportive and encouraging for me to read. I really love to receive reviews, but I'm not forcing anyone to write them. **

**Anyway, my review rants should pretty much be over at this point. Feel free to leave one behind about this chapter, or what you think of the story so far, or any suggestions on what could be improved – I'm open to criticism. **

**So, from here on in, things are about to get very interesting. They'll be out in the open with no one there to fend for them. The Koopalings' lives are about to get very different, if you know what I mean. Keep an eye out for my chapters! **


	9. Nightmare, Relief: Endangerment

**Chapter 6: Nightmare, Relief; Endangerment...**

His eyes opened up – he was finally able to see something, and he realized that he must've fallen asleep against the wooden wall of the craft.

Ludwig stretched and yawned, and then noticed the sudden quietness of the room. There seemed to be much less noise coming from around him, and he also noticed that there was no one around him – he was alone. Everything felt heavy; as if there was some sort of force all over. Memory was obscured; as if it happened long ago, yet he knew it just happened. Nothing felt the way it should be – as if something had entered his mind, or as if there was nothing left.

The oldest Koopaling thought that if he was to take a look around the wreck of his airship, then he might as well do so right away. He was certainly still in there, but there was no one else around. In fact, he could not remember where he was, yet he knew he was still in the bridge. Then the fact came to him, but it only lasted for that moment until it was taken over by another thought. Everything seemed to be very calm yet so strange at the same time.

Ludwig placed his hands by his sides, and then carefully pushed himself off of the floor. His entire body felt much heavier than before, yet he was still able to move about freely. He lifted his hands up once he was standing up, but something didn't look right about them. Everything about his hands was there, but they looked more interesting than ever before. He couldn't help but to study them, but he knew he had to look for his family. Perhaps they went somewhere, but surely someone would have told him. Maybe they were all out for a little walk in the seemingly calm weather outside.

Ludwig took his attention away from himself, and then started turning around. As he did, everything seemed to be happening in short bursts, yet everything was so fluid at the same time. He felt very relaxed, yet somewhat panicked – all at the same time. He looked back up, and saw that the stairway to the inside of the ship was right in front of him. The oldest Koopaling took a step forward, but he almost felt like falling over due to a sudden lack of balance. At the same time, however, he was able to maintain his balance just fine. Possibly this was due to just getting up after falling asleep on the floor, but this was far from the case. He snapped back into what was seemingly reality, and looked back at the stairway. It was closer than before – making his journey there easier. He took another step, and this time was ready for the perceived lack of balance. Walking seemed like a chore, but it was as easy as ever at the same time.

By the time Ludwig made it to the staircase, he was hesitant to descend it. He was sure that everything would be normal on the way down, but he was also sure that something out of the ordinary would be waiting for him at the bottom. He had to go down there to find the rest of his family – what he had been struggling with ever since his airship hit the ground.

He peered down the stairway, and saw that it was all normal. There seemed be something up with it, but he couldn't put a name on it. For the most part, the stairs seemed as they always have been – perfectly straight, as if nothing had ever hit them. Then it hit him – the stairs were all mangled when the airship hit the ground, yet they were straight now. He thought about it for a moment, but wasn't able to come up with an explanation as to what happened to the stairs. Possibly they were difficult to see in the dark, so he thought they were destroyed when in reality they were fine the entire time.

Ludwig placed his foot on the first step of the stairs, and that was when he noticed just how dark they were. There seemed to be the blackest of blacks that anyone has ever seen at the bottom of the stairs. Staring at it only seemed to make it worse, so he decided that he would go in right away for the sake of his family. Ludwig regained his balance moments later, and then was able to take another step down the dark stairwell. He knew he'd be able to make it, but the darkness at the bottom was discouraging to the courageous Koopaling. He would do anything to save his family, and he had no idea if they were in trouble or not. One thing was for sure – he would do anything he could to make sure they were alright.

Ludwig seemed to snap back into it after a moment, pulling his mind out of the recurring deep thoughts which kept coming to him. He gave his head a light shake, and then stared back down at the staircase. This time, unlike the last, there was light at the bottom of the stairs. Subtle yellow light that gave stairs a warm and inviting glow.

He snapped into it once more, and then realized that the stairs were indeed mangled and ruined. He thought about the possibility of the previous darkness covering the stair's damage, but that seemed to be too far back to matter anymore. He was sure that the stairs were fine for the longest time, but then he remembered that they were damaged since the accident.

Ludwig took a deep breath in an attempt to clear his mind up a little bit and to calm down. He knew he would have to find his family soon – something was telling him that they were already in harm's way, yet he was unable to worry about it. Regardless, he pressed on down the stairs – slowly stumbling along, which was kind of funny for some reason. He giggled as he hit the wooden walls, but that abruptly stopped as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He looked up from right in front of his feet, and he saw the most unusual thing that he had ever seen in his entire life. First of all, he noticed that the airship was fine on the inside. He was barely able to stand still as he studied it further – as if he had no balance, yet he was still able to remain upright.

Ludwig took another look after snapping out of a deep string of thought once again. His thoughts were almost overwhelming, yet he was unable to feel overwhelmed by them. The ship's interior was more like a hall at this point. There was nothing in the way like there used to be, yet that seemed like a very long time ago, yet he knew the crash happened not long ago at all. There was a dark void at the end of the ship, as if there was even an end to it. The area seemed to be massive, yet it was the same size as it had always been.

The old and responsible Koopaling abruptly became mesmerized by the seemingly long hall ahead of him. He started walking towards it, yet he seemed to not be moving. Then again, he realized that he was indeed moving.

Ludwig momentarily felt as though he had been walking for hours, yet he knew he was only walking down the massive hall for a few seconds. He looked back behind himself, and he was able to see nothing other than the darkest of blacks, much the same shade as what was at the bottom of the stairwell. He turned back around, and proceeded down the long interior of his ship.

After what seemed like the longest time he'd ever endured, Ludwig heard an abrupt crack around him that sounded much like a storm. He wasn't able to pinpoint the direction from which it came, but it was close. Then there was silence, but then some rustling around.

* * *

><p><strong>I swear the caffeine was doing the writing up to about this point. It was 4:30 AM at the time, and I barely remember writing anything.<strong>

* * *

><p>The silence was broken after a while. A familiar voice said something inaudible, but Ludwig was not able to put a name on the speaker. He much recognized the voice, but it had no apparent name. He was too absorbed in his own thoughts to think about who it may have been. He did know something for sure – the voice needed help, and then he remembered that he had no idea where the rest of his family had went to. They were not in the airship, but that was a very long time ago. Then again, he was just in the bridge – where everyone was before he woke up.<p>

Another voice broke the silence around him, but it seemed to come from nowhere much like the last one. This time, the voice he heard was trying to help someone instead of needing help. He subconsciously knew this even though he could not actually hear what the voices were saying.

Finally, after what seemed like another small eternity, the oldest Koopaling came to enough sense to be able to fully understand what was being said around him.

"Whatever it was, I don't want to see it again," a very familiar voice said – in fact, one that he had to help out before he fell asleep against the wall – Lemmy. Ludwig could not see his brother, but he was around somewhere. His voice seemed to be coming from all directions at the same time.

Ludwig frantically turned around in search of his brother. He was able to hear some of his family, but they were nowhere to be seen. Then, to his surprise, he saw that Lemmy was standing behind him for the entire time – presumably for a while, or he just arrived there.

Ludwig kneeled down so that his eyes would be on the same level as Lemmy's. Lemmy's face lacked expression – he looked very serious, which was very unusual.

The small Koopaling stepped back, and then coldly said, "You were unable to save us. You got us into this mess."

Ludwig was about to say something in order to straighten the situation out, but he was interrupted by another familiar voice coming from behind.

"It's too late to do anything at this point," it said. Ludwig turned around, and saw his youngest brother Larry staring him in the eyes with the same serious expression which Lemmy had on his face moments ago.

"Iggy told me that it could have been anything," the first voice said from somewhere. Ludwig knew that Lemmy was right behind him, so he turned around only to see that his smallest brother was no longer in place. He had seemingly vanished, and was no longer anywhere to be seen.

"He's kind of right," Larry's voice then said from the same direction from which Lemmy's voice originally came from – nowhere distinctive. "Maybe it was some sort of wildlife," Larry then presumably continued. Ludwig turned around, but like Lemmy, Larry was nowhere to be seen. He, too, had vanished. "There's going to be a bunch of stuff out there. I don't think you should be so worried about it," Larry's voice continued.

Ludwig was more confused than he had ever been in his life. He had no idea where his family had gone to, but some of them were right next to him moments ago. He was able to hear some of them, but unable to see anyone. He was alone in the ship, but he was not at the same time.

There was another extremely loud crack which sounded like it came from a storm – much like the last one. Ludwig could have gone up to the bridge to take a look at the weather outside, but finding his family was far too important to him.

Suddenly, another one of his brothers said something, but like before, he was unable to pinpoint the direction from where the voice came from. It said, "I did suggest he talk about it with everyone."

"This is your last chance to save us," someone then said from right behind Ludwig. He turned around, and saw his brother Iggy standing there with the same serious expression as Lemmy and Larry.

"I didn't do anything," Ludwig then pleaded. He finally had the chance to speak, but it didn't do anything to help.

"It wouldn't surprise me if it was just a bear or some sort of large animal," Larry then said out of nowhere. Again, like before, his location could not be pinpointed, and he was nowhere to be seen. This was driving the oldest Koopaling mad – wanting to find the rest of his family, but unable to see any of them.

"That could have been it," added Iggy, again from the same place where Iggy was – somewhere undefinable.

"Except that's not what it was," a voice added, this time from right behind the oldest Koopaling. He turned around, and saw Larry standing there right behind him like before. Ludwig tried bringing himself to saying something to his youngest brother, except he found out that he was unable to. Any speech attempted ended up being nothing more than silence.

"Maybe we can talk to mister sleepyhead over there," added Iggy. Ludwig thought that Iggy's voice came from behind, so he turned around but found nothing there except for the same dark hall that used to be the inside of the ship.

Ludwig wanted to know what was going on around him, but he was still unable to see anything. He still hadn't found anyone, but they sounded as if they were around him. His mind then went in deeper into his thoughts – he realized that he had just only saw three of his brothers, but for some reason that seemed as though it happened a very long time ago.

Ludwig was then able to hear something being said around him, but this time it was more muffled than ever before. Another crack was heard, but it came along with an extremely bright flash of blue light that lit up the inside of the ship with extreme intensity. Ludwig knew that his eyes should have been hurting, but that was not the case. He opened them once more, and then realized that there was nothing to be seen. There was only white around him, and noting more. It was the brightest white he had ever seen. There were more words being said around him, but he was unable to make them out. Those words were nothing more than muffles that would never be deciphered.

Suddenly, Ludwig was interrupted by something behind him. It was one of his three brothers which he saw – "It's too late to do anything anymore," he said. Ludwig turned around, as the voice came from behind him, and his eyes met up with Iggy's. This time, however, instead of blankly and seriously staring back at him, Iggy looked to be very angry, yet his voice held no indication of this.

Iggy seemed to not be the only one who was angered at the moment. Ludwig suddenly felt a rage that came from nowhere – there seemed to be no trigger, but he was unable to stop it.

The sensation of rage took over the oldest Koopaling. He quickly pounced forward, jumping onto Iggy and pinning his brother to the floor. He could not control anything at this point; his body had taken over, and it was now doing all of the work and thinking. Iggy didn't seem to react, which only angered Ludwig even more than he already was. Ludwig felt his arm lifting up, and as soon as he noticed that, it came swinging down – striking Iggy in the snout – leaving drops of crimson everywhere. Ludwig wanted to stop, but there was too much anger in the way to be able to. This time, both his hands went up above his head, and then he found them holding onto the sides of Iggy's head. There were drops of his brother's own blood littering the presumed floor of the completely white environment, but that wasn't enough to stop the enraged Koopaling.

With relentless strength, Ludwig found himself squeezing the sides of Iggy's head – harder as time went on. His strength seemed to be coming from nowhere, but much like his anger, he was unable to control it. The strange part about this event was that Iggy didn't seem to be fighting back. He only stared into Ludwig's eyes as his older brother applied more force to the sides of his head.

Scales were starting to break at the tip of Ludwig's claws; blood was starting to flow. He had no control over what he was doing, but he only wanted to stop. There seemed to be nothing that could be done, so Ludwig only had to hope that he didn't end up hurting Iggy too badly.

Ludwig was unable to control the relentless force which he was exerting on the sides of his brother's head. He wished he could stop, but unfortunately there was nothing to be done. He continued applying more force which did nothing but scare the oldest Koopaling. He was scared for his family; scared of hurting his brother. This could not be done, but it seemed like something that needed to happen.

Suddenly, as if his strength suddenly went through the roof, Ludwig was able to feel Iggy's head beginning to collapse inwards. He still had no control over what he was doing to his younger brother, but he felt as if it needed to be done. Something was almost telling the oldest Koopaling to squeeze harder, but even if he wasn't being told by anything, he still felt as though it would happen. This time around, he put in every ounce of strength into his brother's head. He squeezed as hard as he possibly could with no sign of stopping.

Iggy's head was only so strong – it would only be able to take so much force before something gave. Almost as if he had been taken over, which he very well was, Ludwig felt Iggy's skull collapse under the strength of his hands. There was blood everywhere – along with brain fragments from a once very intelligent creature. Ludwig's vision was covered in crimson, and he was unable to examine the damage freshly dealt.

Moments later, as if Ludwig had been unconscious for the longest time, he snapped back into perceived reality. He looked around, and was unable to see anything. The only indication of what happened were fragments of memory in his mind. He was sure that he just killed his brother not moments ago, but there was no indication to what he just did. He was now back in the white world that contained nothing more than the brightest white light ever seen by anyone.

He looked back down at his hands, but they were as clean as ever. There was no sign anywhere about what Ludwig just did.

This changed, however, when Ludwig felt something gently tap him on his right arm. He turned around to see what it was, and it turned out to be his smallest brother Lemmy, who was standing behind Ludwig with the same angered expression on his face that Iggy displayed moments ago.

Again, like before, Ludwig tried saying something to his usually cheerful brother, yet he was interrupted by the small Koopaling.

"Now he's gone," Lemmy said with a very cold tone that was completely unlike him. "You have to take me now, so I can join him."

Ludwig wanted to stop himself from doing what he was about to do; to save his brother, but there was nothing to be done. Much like he felt with Iggy, Ludwig felt himself lunging towards Lemmy with blinding speed. Never in his life had he moved so quickly – the speed alone was almost scary to him, but that sense of fear was nothing compared to the fear he experienced as he pinned his smallest brother to the ground with ease. He felt his hand raise up over his head; he was unable to see it as it came down and struck Lemmy in the front with blinding speed. The oldest Koopaling was angered about the entire situation – at Lemmy for some reason, and about what he just did.

To his surprise, but unsurprisingly, Lemmy did not react to being hit in the stomach by his brother – no indication of pain or fear. Ludwig was confused as to why neither of his brothers were reacting to his horrendous deed, but he was too angry to think it through.

Before he knew it, his hand came down once more, this time with seemingly more speed than before. This time – with sharp claws extended.

His hand came down on Lemmy's front much like it did before, but this time he saw more crimson; this time, not covering his vision – he was able to see everything that he was doing to his smallest brother.

Lemmy's supposedly thick stomach padding felt as though it was made of tissue paper. Knowing the anatomy of a Koopa, something wasn't adding up properly, but Ludwig was too enraged for no reason to fully think it through.

His vision started to become covered by the same crimson that came out of Iggy. He was still able to see, albeit in a very blurry and discolored manner. Ludwig couldn't clearly see what he was doing, but his flailing arms along with small chunks of red material flying was a clear enough indication about what was going on – he was literally ripping Lemmy apart.

Ludwig tried to force himself to stop what he was doing, but he was unable to do so.

The oldest Koopaling's vision cleared up moments later; the crimson blood covering it disappeared. He was horrified at what he saw, yet deeply angered at the same time.

Lemmy was laying on his back – torn open by his own brother – empty inside. There were chunks of various types of meat everywhere; blood pooling around the body. Ludwig didn't want to look at what he did, but he was unable to keep his eyes off of it.

Moments later, after staring at the gruesome remains of what used to be his smallest brother, Ludwig flashed back into perceived reality. He was laying on his back when this happened – presumably in the same spot where Lemmy was moments ago. He turned around, but much like before, he found nothing on the white presumed floor. Ludwig wanted to end it all – there was no way, as there was nothing else in the place he was in. He remembered fully what he did to his brothers, but there was no evidence pointing to what he did to them.

Ludwig laid down on the white floor of wherever he was in. He was unable to think straight – almost as if there was something blocking his mind.

He didn't feel like he was the only one in the room at the time; there seemed to be someone else in there. Ludwig didn't bother looking up, however – he would wait for whatever was to come, since he felt as if something horrible was to happen to him. He remembered everything he did to his brothers, and he would never be able to forgive himself. He deserved it.

Moments later, Ludwig was able to hear some light pattering coming from above him as he was laying down. There may have been something up there, but he couldn't be bothered to take a look.

"You did that to them," a quiet voice then said from above. "And now, it's time for you to pay."

Ludwig was about to look up at whoever else was with him. It was too late when he thought about it, though. A shadow approached him, darkening his vision. He was terrified of what or who it would be, but at the same time, he wasn't able to care about it.

Slowly, as if for over an eternity, a metal blade made its way into Ludwig's field of vision. Then there was a hand holding it, then a spiked metal cuff, like the ones he and the rest of his family wore – his family whom he could not save. He felt angry as he though about this – all he ever wanted to do since the crash was to keep his family safe, but he was unable to do so. Ludwig closed his eyes, but they were jerked open moments later by a relentless force. He was unable to control himself anymore, so he could only wait for what was to come to him. Ludwig tilted his head back slightly, and was slightly shocked at what he saw.

Larry was standing over Ludwig with a rather large blade in his hands. Something wasn't right about his face – his eyes were completely white; absent of the usual bright blue iris.

Ludwig had no idea what was going on at this point. First, he got rid of two of his own brothers, and now a third one was standing over him with the same angered expression as the other two. He knew he was about to die – he somehow knew what was going on.

Larry stood over top of Ludwig for a moment. He was presumably staring down at his brother, but that was uncertain due to the lack of any iris or pupil. Something didn't seem right about the environment, but it was all very real.

Ludwig was now laying on the white floor at the mercy of his younger brother. He was unable to move, as if Larry's presence froze him. He tried to fight with his mind as that seemed to be the only way for the oldest Koopaling to free himself.

It took Ludwig lots of effort, but he was able to break free from the force pinning him down. Unfortunately, Larry broke free at the same time from whatever was holding him in place. The younger one lunged forth onto his brother, holding the blade to his face. Larry was all of a suddenly extremely angry. Ludwig tried fighting back, but there was not enough strength in his body to overpower that of his little brother's.

Ludwig put his mind to it, but to no avail. He was holding onto Larry's hand, keeping the blade away from himself. Ludwig found himself able to speak; he was gaining back some lost control.

Both dear brothers struggled for a little while to no avail; one was no stronger than the other. Ludwig put all his strength into it, but he was unable to take the blade away from himself. Larry seemed to be having an edge, but they were quite evenly matched.

Ludwig was unable to realize it, but he found himself speaking to his brother. He muttered, "You can't do this to me," as he fought with Larry over the knife. Larry was seemingly unable to respond, and he only grew angrier with every word that came out of his brother's mouth.

The oldest one in the duel felt as if he was gaining more strength. Larry was still as expressionless as before, and he was starting to give out. His arms were retracting towards his body, and he was getting closer to being defeated.

Ludwig, on the other hand, felt as if he was gaining strength as his brother's weakened. He didn't want to do what he was about to do, but he knew he would have to if he were to survive.

Almost as if by magic, the knife turned around in the Koopalings' hands. Ludwig snapped back into it after a moment of mental absence, and realized that the knife's blade was pointed towards his little brother. The responsible Koopaling now faced another challenge – to keep that knife away from Larry. Sure, Larry was trying to get rid of him, but he had to give his little brother another chance, especially since Larry was one of the nicest ones. He couldn't let the younger Koopaling die – he would do anything to protect his family, and this time was no exception.

"You can't do this to yourself!" Ludwig found himself desperately shouting at his brother. He still had clear images of what he did to Lemmy and Iggy in his mind, and he wasn't ready to see Larry the same way.

Ludwig's desperate words seemed to anger the younger Koopaling. His hands started shaking as he tried to turn the knife back around, but he could not. His oldest brother's strength was too much.

Ludwig felt Larry attempting to turn the knife back around towards him, but he prevented it. He decided that from this point on, he would do anything to protect his family. He thought that he had been doing that all along, but not apparently not. Ludwig would have to show them the big brother who he really was, and he was not ready to let another one of his brothers die for unknown reasons.

The oldest Koopaling knew the end was near for him. He felt himself weakening, and Larry seemed to not be giving up just yet. Ludwig spaced out, thinking about his family – those who he let down. He couldn't let anymore of them down, and he would have to face them with the fact that he just killed Lemmy and Iggy, and by the looks of it, Larry. Ludwig himself was almost unable to bear the news. He wanted it all to end – he wanted this to have never happened.

Ludwig snapped back into it moments later. Something was different about this time, however. He looked across the knife blade into Larry's bright-blue eyes... They were back! Larry was back to normal, staring back at Ludwig with fearful and desperate eyes from which tears were flowing.

Larry very quietly and desperately said to Ludwig, "Don't do this to me..."

However, to Ludwig, it was too late. He was already too far gone. The supposedly responsible Koopaling, despite not wanting to, suddenly felt deep hatred towards his youngest brother. Something about the terrified face before him overpowered him despite wanting to save Larry's life. Ludwig felt his eyes closed, and then a sudden jolt, almost as if he was able to see it coming. He opened his eyes, and dreaded the sight ahead. Larry – staring up at Ludwig with wide eyes; mouth hung open slightly; blood pouring out; blade stuck in his neck. Ludwig realized what he just did to his youngest brother. Shocked and terrified, he began screaming, and screaming, and screaming.

It was at this point that he woke up. He was shaking, and he felt as if he was in a sauna – very warm with beads of sweat pouring down. He was also breathing heavily, as he just finished running out of breath from his last helpless scream.

Ludwig began hyperventilating with the images of his dead family still engraved in his mind. This was before he noticed something directly in front of him, as well as on his left side.

Larry crawled over to Ludwig from the rest of the Koopalings, who were all sitting next to the right side wall, and staring at Ludwig strangely. Larry, however, was eager to find out what happened to his oldest brother.

"What's up with you suddenly?" He asked Ludwig with his usual smile on his face.

Ludwig sighed, but the last thing on his mind at that moment was the nightmare. He was relieved to see Larry alive right in front of him, and it was at this point he realized that he just had a nightmare. He reached out towards his youngest brother, and pulled him as close as possible. Larry giggled, and hugged Ludwig back. "Come on, you should tell me," he then playfully said.

Ludwig took a moment to catch his breath, so he ended up telling Larry, "I guess I had a really messed up and horrible dream."

"You alright?" Questioned Larry. "You seem a little bit scared because of it."

"Yeah, I'm fine," huffed Ludwig, wiping a bead of sweat off of his forehead. "I just want to get out of here now," he then said to his brothers.

Ludwig then noticed someone else come up to him from his left side – Lemmy. The cheerful little Koopaling stood up, but was about as tall as Ludwig who was still sitting down against the wall.

"I forgot to tell you this, but the storm is gone now," said Lemmy.

Ludwig looked over and smiled at his smallest brother. He still had the image of what he did to Lemmy in his mind, but at that current moment, he had the Koopaling right in front of him. There was nothing more comforting than that at that moment.

"I also have something to tell you," Lemmy then added. "I already told Iggy and Larry, but they thought I should tell you."

Ludwig smiled at his smallest brother, and then said, "Go ahead."

Lemmy worriedly looked down at the airship's wooden floor. He explained, "When I was out in the rain before you came to get me, I saw something in the woods. I think it looked at me, and it was pretty big. I don't want to see it again."

Ludwig sighed. He knew that there could have been anything in the woods, so all he had to do was to explain that to Lemmy. The big brother then explained to the smaller one, "It was probably just something like a bear. Anything living out here would have seen the ship crash, so they'll come and investigate. It's pretty normal since we're in the middle of a forest right now." Ludwig hoped that that was enough to comfort Lemmy, but he wanted to make sure. He reached over, and pulled the small Koopaling into a warm hug. "I'll let nothing get to you," he then said.

Lemmy smiled. "We'll have to protect each other out there," he then said.

"We sure will," replied Ludwig. He let go of his smaller brother, but the Koopaling remained close. "I just want to get out of here," Ludwig then said to his three brothers who were closest to him.

There was still one thing on Lemmy's mind which Ludwig still hadn't explained – his nightmare. Lemmy wanted to know in case he would be able to make his brother feel better by talking about it, or just so he could find out. He looked up at Ludwig, and then asked him, "What even happened in that dream?"

"Do you really want to know?" Questioned Ludwig. "It was kind of messed up," he then said to his smaller brother. "In fact, it was really messed up." He looked to his right where Larry was sitting next to him, and that Koopaling was ready to listen in. On top of that, Iggy was looking at Ludwig from the other side of Lemmy, and much like Lemmy and Larry, he was interested in what happened to Ludwig in his dream.

"I guess I'll tell you guys," Ludwig said upon seeing the curiosity in his brothers' eyes. He then began, "I woke up in this airship, and none of you were around. I was alone in here, so I got up to try finding you guys."

At this point, Lemmy got up to get the rest of his family who were very close to where Ludwig was sitting. They all got up, and gathered around the oldest Koopaling. Lemmy sat back down in his previous spot, which led Ludwig to continuing, "Then I went down the stairs, and ended up in a really long hallway. In a bit, I was in this really white world with nothing in it, except your guys' voices saying something about seeing something in the bush."

Ludwig was remembering everything with great detail, especially the conversation that he was able to hear.

"I was part of that," interrupted Lemmy. "We were talking about that thing I saw in the woods."

Ludwig remembered the conversation with even greater detail as Lemmy mentioned it.

The rest of the Koopalings were thinking about something else. They had not heard Lemmy mention anything about that, and they wanted to know what the smallest one saw.

Morton, being the loud-mouth, was the first one to mention Lemmy's lack of words. He called the small Koopaling out by loudly saying, "You never told us about anything like that. I mean, if you see something out of the ordinary, you should at least tell me so I can tell everyone else."

"And probably make a big deal out of it," added Roy. "Let him tell everyone at his own pace."

"We can talk about it after I explain," said Ludwig, attempting to stop any potential conflict. "I may as well tell you guys what happened, since you all seem to want to listen to my horrible dream."

"I 'kinda do," said Roy. "I think we all kind of want to."

The rest of the Koopalings nodded in agreement to their largest brother. Ludwig sighed at all uthe explaining that he was bound to do. He didn't want to think about the nightmare very much, but then again, that was probably the best way to forget about it. He then continued, "Lemmy, Larry, and Iggy, all appeared out of nowhere, but not at the same time."

The three mentioned Koopalings' eyes widened at the mere thought of being in a nightmare from their oldest brother.

Ludwig continued after noticing his three brothers' eyes widening. He explained, "Iggy appeared first, and I was really mad for some reason. I uhh..." Ludwig felt a tear forming under one of his eyes. He did not want to tell Iggy what happened as that would possibly scare him. Despite the risk of scaring his brother, Ludwig continued, "I grabbed his head... He didn't react... Then it exploded."

"Oh, that's nasty," said Wendy. "There would be Iggy goo everywhere."

"It all seemed a bit too real," continued Ludwig, ignoring his sister's rather interesting comment.

Lemmy, despite hearing about his favorite brother's unreal death, grabbed onto Ludwig's arm, and said, "It wasn't real. We'll all be fine. We're all going to be alive."

Ludwig smiled at Lemmy's optimism. Sure, they were all safe; he was sure of it. He just couldn't bear seeing anyone in his family dead. He then continued, looking down at Lemmy, "Then you appeared once Iggy was gone." Ludwig gulped, ready to tell Lemmy everything. He wanted to know, so it would be his problem if he didn't like what he was about to hear. Besides, Lemmy was interested in the nightmare anyway, which made him responsible for anything said. "I ripped you apart," Ludwig then said, pulling his smaller brother in towards himself.

"That's... Kind of weird," said Lemmy, weirded out more than anything about what happened. "At least it wasn't real," he then said to Ludwig.

"That's nothing compared to what happened next," Ludwig then said to his family. They were all eagerly staring at him, as they wanted to know what happened in the horrible nightmare.

"Larry suddenly appeared," continued Ludwig, grabbing onto his younger brother who was on his right. He closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath. "He started fighting me with a knife, and-and..." Ludwig didn't really want to say the next part, and Larry had a pretty good idea about what his eldest brother was about to say. "You won," the youngest Koopaling coldly said. The only response he got from his oldest brother was a very subtle nod. "That will never happen," Larry then said, holding Ludwig's arm tighter.

"I know it won't," Ludwig coldly replied. It killed him to say what he did to his younger brothers, along with the rest of his family, but he was more than glad to see that they didn't resent him or assume anything about him because of it.

All Koopalings (including Junior) sat around in their places for a moment. The storm outside had calmed down; there was barely any rain, and there was no longer any lightning. The sky was as dark as before due to the massive cloud blocking out the sun, along with being later in the day, but it was not at all unsuitable for walking through. There was a large amount of chips and soda gathered along the wall which Morton brought up, none of which had been touched. They had food. They had something to drink. Most of all, they had no rain to deal with. This time was probably as good as any to leave the airship once and for all, and finally find a safer place to be.

Ludwig cleared his throat after sitting with his family for about a minute. "I have something to say," he then announced to them. The rest of his family looked at him – all seven of them. With their full attention on him, Ludwig finally made the decision. He said to them, "We shall leave this airship as soon as possible, and find somewhere better to be, or better yet, a way to get home."

Lemmy, possibly being the happiest one there at that moment, jumped up with excitement. "I can't wait to get home!" He happily exclaimed.

"Then let's get out of here," replied Ludwig, adding to Lemmy's excitement. He stood up next to Lemmy, who was bubbling with excitement; ready as ever to leave – to find safety. The rest of the Koopalings got up – Morton walked over to the food stash and picked everything up, and then walked over to the door where everyone else was – ready to exit the wreckage.

There was one more thing on Ludwig's mind which he wanted to talk about – whatever Lemmy saw. He remembered telling the small Koopaling already that it could have been anything, but much like his nightmare, it was probably something that would be best not kept secret.

Once the Koopalings and Junior were all gathered around by the door, Ludwig had one question to ask the smallest one. Lemmy was directly in front of him, so he quietly asked the small one, "Lemmy?" Lemmy looked up at Ludwig with slightly wide eyes. He was ready to leave, and the last thing he wanted was something else holding them back. Ludwig then asked, "What did you see in the bush?"

Lemmy, not wanting to ruin the excitement of leaving the scary airship once and for all, replied to Ludwig, "Let's talk about it on the way to safety."

"Sure thing," replied Ludwig. He didn't want to push anything out of Lemmy. He also didn't want to stress everyone out, so it would be best for all of them to get some fresh air before talking about anything even the least bit scary.

"Let's get out of here once and for all," Ludwig then said. The rest of his family nodded at him.

All eight Koopas in the group then headed through the wrecked stairway at the back end of the bridge – the one that would take them outside.

Ludwig was correct about what he said – they would all be leaving... Once and for all.

* * *

><p><strong>This took longer than it should have for me to write, but that's because I was highly lazy throughout the last five days. Oh well, here it is. By the way, I lied about them leaving in the previous chapter. I got carried away by that caffeine-powered nightmare thing which ended up taking up most of the chapter. However, it turned out rather interesting – one of the best pieces I've ever written in my opinion... I say!<strong>

**So, I promise this time that they're going to be leaving. They'll FINALLY be out in the open with no one to fend for them. I'm excited to write the next few chapters (Spoiler alert!) as they're going to be filled with some "juicy" scenes much like the one in the nightmare where Lemmy is ripped apart.** **(Chopped to pieces, ripped to shreds, you're 'gonna wish that you were dead! –Midget Saw – Alestorm)... Hehehe, maybe I can borrow from that song. Midgets and torture... Hmm, sounds doable! Maybe I'll mix it with that one scene from Wrong Turn 4... Yes... Sounds interesting! This won't be for a while, though, but it will happen. **

**Anyway, asides from some of my favorite music and spoilers that don't reveal anything, I'm going to say that I had a good time writing this chapter even though it took me a little longer than usual. This was mostly due to being either tired, unmotivated, or just straight-up busy. I hope the next one doesn't take too long, but I don't really have much to say as I am updating this story much more frequently than I expected. It's going to be horrendous from here on in; more exciting to write.**

**Alright, so that's pretty much all I have to say about this update. I'll be back very soon. Hopefully I can get another update out soon, preferably by early next week. Of course, that's if you're following the story. If you're reading it years after it has been completed, then you can simply hit the button on the upper-right. Feel free to leave a review if you apply to the former. What did you think about this chapter? Is there anything that could be changed? Is there anything you'd like to suggest for the future? Fire away! **

**Seeya later!**

**- Pissed off Canadian**


	10. Innocent little Lumberton

**Chapter 7: Innocent little Lumberton**

**_In the living room..._**

"Look at this," the older brother said, passing the newspaper over to his younger brother. "We have to go check this place out."

The younger one took the paper in hand, and read the headline.

_Couple enters Lumberton and never returns – update, _the paper read. He scanned further down the page, and continued reading, _Unarmed officials were sent to investigate, but much like the couple, they never returned. _

"Pretty messed up, isn't it?" The oldest of the pair asked.

"Sure is. Think we should check it out?" The younger one questioned.

The shorter yet older one nodded at his younger brother. They were always up for an adventure, but this one was like no other – investigating a small ghost town where people would go in only to never return.

"Throw some Fire Flowers and Super Stars into the '500," the older one ordered. "Let's check this place out right away, but not without extreme precaution."

The younger brother nodded. He then got up off of the couch, and headed over to the other side of the house where everything requested would be stored.

The other one stayed on the couch, but was ready to leave as soon as his younger brother loaded everything into the car.

* * *

><p><strong><em>At the wreckage...<em>**

The sun was setting over the tops of the trees. The forest was darkening, but they had to waste no time trying to find refuge. There may be somewhere for them to go, but likewise, there may also be nothing out in those woods. The land between the Mushroom Kingdom and Darkland was absolutely massive, and it would take them quite a long time to walk to one of the kingdoms. They would have to find something in between if they were to survive.

Everyone was walking toward the edge of the clearing. When the rain was pouring, the clearing appeared to be much larger than it actually was. No one was really speaking to one another in the group. They were all still slightly shocked, and on top of that, they only wanted to go back home.

Ludwig was possibly doing most of the thinking in the group, if not all of it. He was thinking about where to go, but he could not really think of anything due to being new to the area. The oldest Koopaling decided that they would just walk until they found something. There was no other way to survive, so they could only hope of making it somewhere before the next day. All of them would only be able to hope that they were not alone in these woods – in a non-hostile manner.

The so-called Edgelands were massive – the lands between Darkland and the Mushroom Kingdom. There was a possibility of something being out there, but that chance ran very slim. In the case that there was actually something out there, it would most likely be closer to the Mushroom Kingdom due to there being nothing in Darkland. The kinder kingdom contained more than the darker, meaner one – exactly what Bowser didn't want. This was also his main motivation for taking it over – so that there would actually be something to do in his land. This was also the main reason that the Koopalings were out there – to see if there is anything there. On the bright side of the entire situation, they would be forced to go home with some information as they were bound to find something.

Ludwig only wanted to make it back home with some positive information, but that would have to come later. For the time being, he had to assure that everyone was going to make it; he would have to help any one of his family members out if they were to face any issues along the way. Because of this, Ludwig was thinking about Lemmy – not really Lemmy himself, but more about the thing he claimed to see in the woods. Ludwig knew that the little Koopaling was not able to recall what it looked like very well, but at the very least he would be able to ask Lemmy about it to get a better idea of what it may have been.

Lemmy was walking closely to Ludwig. There was no particular order in the group; everyone was walking along, making their way to the other side of the clearing. The oldest one thought that he might as well ask the smallest one right away. Lemmy even decided to talk about it once they were out of the airship, and that's where they were at the current moment. Besides, Ludwig noticed that Lemmy had been looking around at the woods more than anyone else in the group, indicating that something was worrying him. He was holding onto Iggy's hand, but Iggy seemed to not notice that Lemmy was worrying about something.

Ludwig looked down at Lemmy, who was on his right, and quietly mentioned his name. Lemmy looked up at his oldest brother with a questioning look on his face. Ludwig then asked, "What do you think it was that you saw out here?"

Lemmy closed his eyes for a moment. At this point, everyone in the group stopped in their tracks to listen. Either they were wanting to hear what Lemmy had to say about it, or they wanted to be ready to comfort Lemmy if necessary.

The small Koopaling came up with a mental image, but there was barely enough detail in it to explain anything. Despite that, Lemmy tried his best at explaining what he saw. "It was kind of big," he explained with a very slight unsteadiness in his voice. "I think it might have been the size of Roy... Maybe a little bit bigger."

Roy noticed the unsteadiness in Lemmy's voice. He walked over to the small Koopaling, and kneeled down in front. He then reassuringly said to Lemmy, "If it's about the same size as me, then I'll be able to take it. No problem."

Lemmy smiled at his largest brother, but only just. Roy's words were only enough to remind Lemmy that he was not the only potential target. As he thought about the sight, he was able to come up with more details – the way it stood; the way it must've looked back at him. He then continued explaining to everyone, who was now listening at this point, "It looked like some sort of hunchback or something along those lines."

"There's a possibility that it may have been a bear," interrupted Larry. He was walking alongside Junior at the other side of the group. He then walked over to Lemmy and Ludwig as he wanted to help the conversation out. "I mean, bears are kind of big and kind of hunchbacked."

"They're just shaped that way," added Iggy. He, along with Larry, just wanted to make Lemmy stop worrying so much.

Lemmy thought about the shape for a moment. "It stood upright," he then said to his brothers. The more Lemmy thought about it, the clearer the image in his mind became.

"A bear can stand upright, you know," said Larry. At this point, he was standing right next to his smallest brother, happily replying to anything he said.

Lemmy only tilted his head at his youngest brother's response. True – a bear was able to stand upright. Lemmy didn't know too much about them, but Larry's words were true.

"I still think you're just imagining things right now," Larry said as he patted Lemmy on the back of his head. "Besides, if we make enough noise, then a healthy bear will run away."

Lemmy smiled. At the same time, Morton heard what Larry said, and believed him. Being one of the loudest Koopalings, he could not turn down this opportunity to make some noise. Morton very loudly shouted into the air, "If you're out there, then we'll get you! You don't stand a chance against us!"

"How about you shut it?!" Demanded Wendy. She grumpily walked over to her loud-mouth brother, and said to him, "At this rate, we'll scare everything out of these woods."

"That's the point," replied Morton. He then proceeded to clap his hands together as loudly as possible to make noise, and in an attempt to annoy his sister.

"That's enough for the time being," interrupted Roy in the middle of Morton's over-the-top clapping session.

Ludwig buried his face in his hand after hearing all the commotion caused by some of his family members. They still seemed to not be able to behave despite being in the current situation. At least they weren't arguing about anything which would make things slightly easier in terms of finding someplace safe. "Why don't you all stop making so much noise?" He then questioned. "Let's just think of something. We can't just aimlessly walk through the woods and find something. We have to think of somewhere to look."

"But where would that be? I think I know everything about this place," said Junior, with his usual high self-expectations. Larry walked back over to him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder to indicate that he was being annoying.

"It's probably a whole lot bigger than you think," replied Ludwig to the annoying heir to the throne.

Junior shook his head, and was about to say something that would irritate Ludwig, but he remembered what Larry talked to him about back when the airship was still in the air – to not be so annoying. He then calmly said to Ludwig, "I guess it's pretty big out here. We'll just have to find something."

"That's about all we can do," replied Ludwig. He then pictured the map in his mind. The Mushroom Kingdom was to the west – albeit very far to the west. That would be an option, but it would take them quite a long time to get there. Darkland was closer than the Mushroom Kingdom, but unlike the former, there was absolutely nothing there, especially at the latitude where they crashed at. Going to Darkland would mean walking all the way back to the castle, which was possibly impossible to do and survive at the same time. The Mushroom Kingdom seemed like a safer bet, even though it would most likely mean getting captured.

"I think I have an idea," Ludwig said after thinking about the options for a moment. Despite being the one who crashed the airship, he was still capable of planning stuff out and thinking about options.

The rest of the Koopas looked back up at Ludwig. They were all ready to hear anything, and willing to abide to any plan that would take them home safely.

The oldest Koopaling cleared his throat, and then said to the rest of his family, "I think we should try making it to the Mushroom Kingdom."

The seven younger Koopas were all puzzled by their oldest brother's decision. Why enemy territory? There had to be another option.

The second-youngest one – Larry, who was possibly also the happiest at the time, needed to question his oldest brother's decision. He looked up at his brother, and then asked, "Why would you want to go there? That's probably the worst place for us to go."

"It's probably also the only place where we can go," replied Ludwig, stepping closer to Larry. "Even if we're not supposed to be there."

"I'm going to agree with him this time," interrupted Iggy. He stepped closer to Larry and Ludwig in order to join the conversation. He then explained his reasoning. "Even if we get captured, we can at least explain what happened. Then we can say all we want to do is go back home."

"But I don't want to get captured by anyone," replied Larry. "I just want to go back home, and that's all I want to do."

"Look, Larry," said Ludwig. He kneeled down in front of Larry, and then grabbed both of his hands. "I can explain everything that happened. Even though we're not supposed to be there, doesn't mean that we can't get out. We make sure they know that we were never intending to cause anyone harm, and they'll let us go home. We were just stranded, and we only want to go back home."

Larry still had a bad feeling about heading to the Mushroom Kingdom. He absolutely did not want to get captured, let alone see anyone like Mario or Luigi, but that may be the best option.

"We're in the middle of nowhere right now," added Ludwig. "It doesn't matter who we end up with – it will be better than being out here."

Larry closed his eyes and nodded at Ludwig. He was correct, despite being the one responsible for the entire situation. "Maybe they'll be nice to us if we're nice to them."

"That's usually the way it works," said Roy, "Unfortunately."

"We should just focus on getting somewhere safe," Ludwig then suggested. "Like I said, even if we get captured, at least we'll be in a safe place. There could be anything out here, but the Mushroom Kingdom will at least have someone who we can talk to and explain to what happened."

"As much as I hate that place," said Roy, "It does seem like the best place for us to go."

"Then that's where we'll be headed off to soon," said Ludwig.

Lemmy walked over to his older brother with an important question in mind. "Do you even know which direction that's in?" The small Koopaling asked.

Ludwig thought about the direction for a moment. He wasn't able to tell exactly where the Mushroom Kingdom was, but then he remembered that the kinder kingdom was towards the west of Darkland – the same direction where the sun was setting. _Follow the sun, _the oldest Koopaling then thought.

"It's that way," Ludwig then said to Lemmy in response to his question. He pointed to a rather dimly-lit line of trees that was the edge of the clearing – to the starboard side of the crashed airship. "We don't have much time left," he then explained. "I think we should get going as quickly as possible."

"Surely it's going to take more than one day to get there?" Iggy asked from next to his oldest brother.

"Possibly," replied Ludwig. "But I think that we can at least find somewhere to camp out or at least spend the night."

"I don't want to spend any more time out in this icky place," interrupted Wendy. She walked over to Ludwig, and faced him.

"It won't be that bad being out here," the oldest Koopaling said to his only sister.

Despite the storm, the weather outside was almost passable. The air was warm, and there was no longer any rain. Making things worse, though, was the lack of sunlight. Sure, it was beginning to set over the horizon, but that was barely visible due to the cloudiness of the sky. All in all, though, the coming night looked to be one that wouldn't be too unpleasant to stay under. If anything, they could continue walking through the night and catch some rest the next day or when they made it to the kingdom.

"Let's just get going as quickly as possible," Iggy then said. He wanted to get back home as much as everyone else did, but he really didn't want to spend much more time standing around and debating things.

"Agreed," said Morton upon listening to Iggy. He then picked up the bags of soda and chips that were sitting on the ground next to him. "I'm really ready to go," he then said to the rest of the group.

Ludwig then turned around in response to the others in his family. There weren't any other options, or places for them to go, so leaving right away was the best choice. He stepped forward, but was quietly interrupted by someone small behind him. The oldest Koopaling turned around, and saw his smallest brother staring up at him with his usual large eyes. "What is it?" Ludwig questioned the smallest one as it was obvious that Lemmy had something to say.

"I just want all of us to stick together," replied Lemmy.

"We sure will have to do that," replied Ludwig, promptly patting his small brother on the top of the head. Lemmy usually wasn't bothered by too much unless he was either alone, afraid, or both.

No matter how much the small Koopaling talked about it, Lemmy still had a bad feeling about the entire place. The thing he saw was probably a large bear or other animal like his brothers already explained to him, but he still had a bad feeling about the area in general. He thought for a moment, and came to the conclusion that just being stranded in the woods was enough for his mind to scare him. He had to remain positive – same went for the rest of his family. Lemmy took a deep breath, and then started following Ludwig, who was already walking towards the edge of the clearing. The rest of his family followed along, hoping that their oldest brother's judgment was correct this time.

All eight Koopas walked along the clearing, presumably towards the Mushroom Kingdom. The sun was setting in the west side of the sky – exactly where they were supposed to be going. There was some uneasiness filling the air, yet nothing compared to what they were feeling during the storm. It somehow seemed like storm ending eased the Koopas up a little bit. Every one of them was felling considerably better currently, which would greatly help them it getting back home.

All that was left to do now was to walk. They would find something – anything – which would be better than being out in the open. The thought of being captured trespassing in the Mushroom Kingdom seemed like a much better option, especially over being stranded in the middle of the woods in uncharted territory.

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><p><strong><em>Two hours later: Random spot in the woods...<em>**

"We've been walking forever," the second youngest one of the entire group said as he took another slightly sore step. His feet were mainly getting sore from all the walking that he and his family were doing through the woods. "We should rest for a little while," he then suggested. He stopped in his place for a moment, leading the rest of his family to stopping.

"Larry's right," Junior then interrupted. He walked over to Larry's side, ready to convince everyone else to take a break.

The oldest Koopaling walked over to the two youngest, and calmly told them, "I at least want to get somewhere first."

Roy stepped in beside his oldest brother. He said to everyone, "I think Larry's correct. He wants to rest for a bit, so we should let him rest for a bit. Besides, I can use something to eat."

"And that's where I come in!" Morton exclaimed. He walked towards the four who were gathered together, and set the bags of soda and chips down. "Take whatever you want out of here. Whatever you can eat, take it. It's all you can eat this time."

"Thank you," replied Larry. He didn't really think about it before, but now that there was food in front of him, he noticed how hungry he really was.

Ludwig only sighed, but he was outnumbered. The rest of his siblings were all gathered around the food, and he could not just leave them there. He remembered agreeing with Lemmy to stick together, and he would not dare break that promise for the sake of his family. "I guess we can stop for a little while," the oldest Koopaling then said. He was feeling a bit tired himself, but not enough to rest. However, it would be irresponsible of him to break a promise he made earlier.

Everyone gathered around in a small group. Everyone in the group looked around in hopes of seeing something, but there was nothing to be seen. No sign of anything other than lots of closely-packed and dark trees. They all looked the same – there seemed to be no way to differentiate this area from anywhere else in the woods. They were still on the right track, however. The sun set not long ago, but there was still a yellow haze in the sky over the horizon – where the sun was hidden. It was right ahead, so they were on the right path towards the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Let's just rest for a few minutes," Ludwig said once everyone was settled down. He sat down as no one responded to him – most likely because they wanted to rest for much longer than he intended. Ludwig would not be able to complain as he agreed to let everyone take part in decision making. Besides, nothing was forcing them to leave right away. They could essentially spend the rest of the night in that area despite that not being necessary.

Lemmy and Iggy, as always, were close together, talking about their misadventure. Larry and Junior were taking part in that conversation as well, which was something to see. Junior was usually left out of most things, but recently talking to Larry a little more improved things for him. He was now more self-aware after listening to what Larry had to say to him back in the airship, and that would help him become more likeable to everyone else.

Morton and Roy were both pacing around the rest of the group, talking, eating chips, and drinking soda all at the same time. Nothing was more pleasing to these two large Koopalings than eating junk food after a long and difficult task, and this one was no exception.

Ludwig saw that Wendy wasn't with anyone, sitting alone on the forest floor. He thought that he might as well join his only sister to make sure that she doing alright despite everything that was going on. The oldest Koopaling was serious about the well-being of his entire family, but everyone else was keeping each other company. Wendy didn't have anyone to talk to at that moment, and neither did Ludwig.

He walked over to his only sister, and sat down next to her on the forest floor. The floor was flat and relatively free of any obstructions, making it an ideal place to sit down for a little while.

Being the caring brother that he was, Ludwig asked his sister, "You feeling alright?"

"About as good as anyone else," replied Wendy. She accepted the situation long ago, and wasn't very bothered about it. "It didn't have to happen," she then continued. "But it was an accident. We'll get out of it soon."

"We sure will," replied Ludwig, agreeing with his sister for once. He smiled at her, and then she smiled back, and then looked away. Ludwig looked around, but was able to see nothing in the woods. It was too dark out to see anything, but he wasn't disappointed by that due to the fact that there was nothing out there where they were.

Both Wendy and Ludwig zoned out moments later, each looking around at the emptiness of the forest. Nothing could be heard around them. Despite the dangers of being out in the open like they were, this particular forest seemed like one to not worry about as they hadn't seen much more than a bear since arriving. There was a possibility of hearing more as the night proceeded, but that would happen later. In the present, they could only focus on the peaceful emptiness of the woods.

As the smallest one spoke with his brothers, he caught something in the corner of his eye. It disappeared shortly after, and seemed to not be coming back. Still being slightly paranoid about what he saw earlier, Lemmy paused what he was doing.

"Guys," he quietly said to Iggy, Larry, and Junior – the three closest to him. They all looked back at Lemmy, wondering about what was bothering him. All three of them were ready to bring comfort to the small Koopaling if he were to get scared once more.

"I think I saw something," Lemmy then said to his three closest brothers.

"What did it look like?" Iggy questioned. He hoped that Lemmy's potential fear hadn't returned.

The small Koopaling only had a puzzled look on his face; one that indicated fear and confusion at the same time. Lemmy didn't know what to think about what he saw, since it was bright, unlike the presumed bear.

Seconds later, it came back – a very dim but steady flame-like glow deep in the woods.

"There it is," Lemmy then said. He was somewhat relieved to see that it wasn't whatever he saw earlier, but then it came to him – it was a light. "Look over there, guys," Lemmy added with his excitement building up.

Larry, Iggy, and Junior all looked over to where Lemmy was looking, and they were able to see the very same candle-like light.

"It's a light!" Lemmy then exclaimed once he was able to see that his three other brothers saw the same thing. The excited little Koopa jumped up, and immediately started running around the area making a bunch of noise about the light that he just saw. He wanted to make sure that everyone knew about it, and they did due to the show he was putting on.

The rest of the Koopalings were all able to see the dim flickering light in the distance. Everyone's spirits lifted the more they looked at it due to it being something other than darkness.

"We have to go check that out right away!" Exclaimed Ludwig. He didn't care who lit it up – meeting anyone out in the woods meant getting back home sooner. "Grab anything you guys need, and let's go," Ludwig then announced to everyone else in the group. He slowly started walking in the general direction to where the light was. It looked to be quite far off in the distance, but it couldn't be more than a couple hundred meters due to the density of the forest's trees.

Seconds later, the rest of the group was walking alongside their oldest brother. To everyone's disappointment, the fire-like light was extinguished almost as soon as it was lit.

"Straight ahead," Ludwig then said, remembering the direction from which the light source came. "We can't be too far ahead."

No one seemed to be bothered about the light dying off. They were already headed in the general direction of it which meant that they would be at the source very quickly. All that was left to do at this point was to walk – to find out where the light came from. It was their only hope of salvation in the Edgelands – one that could only lead to something good. Unfortunately, however, that would not be the case.

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><p><strong>Hehehe... Yeah, that's right. Cliffhanger! I know exactly where that light came from, and I'm not telling anybody until the next chapter is released! Evil, yes I am. <strong>

**So this chapter was a bit of a pain to write. I re-wrote lots of it more than once, and I was generally not having a very easy time with it. I couldn't really think today for some reason, but that doesn't really matter. In the end, I like how it turned out.**

**For those who are actively following this story, I'm going to try having the next chapter out by Halloween. The timing will be perfect, and what's going to happen will perfectly fit the theme of the day.**

**So I don't have much else to say about this chapter. Can you piece everything together? Feel free to leave a review behind telling me what you think about it. **

**I'll see you guys later, and have a happy Halloween! Watch out for what's to come!**

**- Pissed off Canadian **


	11. Alas, Salvation Albeit Not

**I know I said I'd get this out yesterday, but that was a lie due to me being quite busy on Halloween. On the bright side, I did manage to gather up several pounds of free candy.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 8: Alas, Salvation; Albeit Not<strong>

After minutes of trudging through the woods, nothing was found. Everyone felt as if they were near the light source, but apparently not. There was no sign of anything, making them feel as if they followed the light for nothing.

"It has to be really close now," the oldest one in the group said in an attempt of keeping everyone's hopes up. He got no response, assuming that it didn't work.

Minutes later, and after a few more meters, everything changed. There was some sort of clearing up ahead; they could see where the woods ended. Details couldn't be made out due to the lack of sunlight, but there looked to be something in the clearing.

The group of eight Koopas continued walking towards it, hoping that there would be something up ahead. They didn't have much more ground to cover.

"I hope we at least find anything out here," said Lemmy. He was certain that the clearing would lead to something good. Anything that could aid them in returning home would be able to be considered as helpful.

"I don't care what it is," replied Ludwig. "As long as it's a sign of life."

"You mean life as in any sort of life that's not naturally supposed to be here," interrupted Iggy.

"Exactly," the oldest Koopaling replied.

They continued walking along the woods, eager to find anything. They were now almost able to touch the clearing – just about to find out what was ahead.

Moments later, the Koopalings arrived at the edge of the trees. Up ahead, there was indeed a clearing, and then something else at the back of it – large and dark rectangular shape.

"I wonder exactly what that is," Ludwig muttered under his breath. It looked eerie to him, but it was still quite a bit more inviting than anywhere else in the forest. "Maybe that's where the light came from," the oldest Koopaling then said to the rest of his family.

He walked ahead a little more with the rest of his family following along. They pressed on through the overgrown grass that seemed to be covering most of the clearing, just managing to actually walk through it.

After taking more time to observe the structure, Ludwig was able to see that it was very well some sort of building. He was unable to differentiate between the details on it due to the lack of sunlight, but right away was he able to tell that it hadn't been touched for a very long time.

"Let's go check this place out," Ludwig then said to the rest of his family who were following him. "Stay close," he ordered, not wanting to risk having anyone get lost or hurt. They were entering a presumably abandoned building which could potentially be filled with various hazards.

The group of Koopas then walked closer to the building. Lemmy was barely tall enough to keep his head above the uncut grass, making it difficult for him to keep up. Iggy was guiding him, but he was still having troubles.

Moments later, the group of Koopas made it to the side of the abandoned building. None of them could put a name on what it was. It appeared to be the size of the average house, except there were no windows on it – just old grey wood. It carried an eerie factor based on the appearance, but it was potentially shelter.

"We should find a way in," someone said who wasn't visible. The voice was quite small and high-pitched, making it obvious that the suggestion was made by Lemmy.

Upon hearing his small brother attempt to speak to the rest of his family, Iggy cleared some grass away from Lemmy's face with his hand, allowing the smaller one to finally see something.

Ludwig was able to hear his smallest brother speak, so he said back in response, "That's what I'm trying to do. I don't see anything on this side." Ludwig then examined the rest of the creepy structure. The sun had set a little while ago, taking all daylight with it. He wasn't able to make out any fine details, but he was able to judge the size of it.

"Let's go to the other side," Ludwig then said to the rest of his family. Everyone nodded at him, and then followed their oldest brother. He walked over to the end of the building that was closest to the right, leading them along the way. No one said anything over the anticipation of possibly finding something interesting.

Moments later, the group of Koopalings made it to the end of the building. Much like the rest of it, the end was quite plain, consisting of nothing more than some old wood planks, along with a large wooden door that looked to be made of the same materials.

"Looks like we made it to the right place," Ludwig then said. He went over to the door, and pushed on it. There seemed to be no lock on it, so it pushed open relatively easily.

The musty smell of decay flooded out of the building as the door swung open. The air inside was humid and damp, indicating that the building had not been opened for quite a long time. There was also no light source inside, making it impossible to see anything. The floor was damp as they walked in, and the air was very humid and musty. Ludwig wanted to know if everyone else wanted to continue outside, or if they wanted to stay in the building and rest for a little while. He asked them, "What do you guys want to do now? Stay here, or keep going?"

Everyone looked at each other momentarily. Leaving right away would allow them to explore the area some more, but their rest in the woods was cut short by the light they saw.

"Maybe we should stay here for a little bit," suggested Roy. He remembered that Larry wanted to rest for a little while back when they were in the woods, but he never got the chance to do so for very long.

"I totally agree," Morton added, supporting his only larger brother. He walked over to Roy, and then set down the food that he was carrying. "You can all have some of this. We didn't have much time to rest last time, so we should take that time we missed last time, and push it into this time."

Morton would have continued speaking, but Ludwig interrupted him. He said to his brothers who wanted to stay, "I think we should leave really soon in case there's something out there. I mean, where did that light come from?"

"It could have been a reflection," replied Iggy, walking over to his oldest brother. "You know there could be anything in these woods," he then explained. "I think we should stay here for the time being, as we don't know for sure if there's anything else out here."

Ludwig thought about Iggy's words for a moment. He was correct – the place could very well contain nothing other than trees and wildlife.

"We won't know for sure," the tall Koopaling added. "But if there is anything out here, then it's really not going anywhere."

"I think we should stay here for at least a few minutes," Lemmy then interrupted after listening to Iggy's reasoning.

Ludwig sighed. As before, he wanted to continue in case there was something out there, but he had to agree with the rest of his family. "Let's stay here for a while, then," the oldest Koopaling then said. "But in a little while," he continued, "I want to continue on just in case there is something out there."

Ludwig then walked over to the end of the building where the door was, and closed it shut. There were vents on the inside of the roof which let some light in, albeit very little.

Sure, the decent-sized shed-like building wasn't the warmest place to be, or the brightest, but it was enclosed. The last time any of them had been in a completely closed building was when the airship was still in the air. The building felt as if it was probably the safest place in the entire forest, and that probably was the case. There was the chance that there was nothing else beyond it, leaving it as the only sheltered place to be. There was also the chance of something else being beyond the building. Maybe things would get better for them – only time would tell.

"If there's one building here," the oldest Koopaling then concluded, "There may be more somewhere else. That's what I want to look for."

A couple seconds later, Ludwig saw a face appear in front of him with a shaft of dim light across it – Junior. He looked up at the oldest Koopaling with something to say. What Larry talked to him about was bothering him the entire time; he was perceived as annoying by the rest of his family, but he never really realized it. He wanted to apologize, but never had the time to talk about it. Junior thought that he might as well talk about it as soon as possible mainly to get it off his chest.

"What is it?" Ludwig confusedly asked the king's son. Junior was staring up at him with a very questioning expression, but he wasn't saying anything.

Upon being questioned, the youngest Koopa in the room shook his head lightly as his mind snapped back into what he was doing. "I, uhh," he began, unable to say very much due to being caught in the middle of spacing out on Ludwig's face. The young Koopa didn't want to sound meaningless, so he quietly said to Ludwig, "I, uhh, I guess I've been kind of annoying in the past..."

Ludwig was puzzled. Sure, Junior was usually quite annoying most of the time, but why was he saying something about it now? Shouldn't that have been apparent some time in the past? Last year? Before he was born? Ludwig sighed, and then kneeled down in front of Junior so that their eyes were at the same level. He didn't want to say anything offensive to Junior since that would most likely give him a reason to meaninglessly complain about it.

Ludwig inhaled, and then softly said to Junior, "You have been a little bit annoying in the past." _Actually, you've been really annoying in the past, and on this trip, _he immediately thought after speaking. Ludwig was being as polite as possible to Junior as a precaution to not offend him. He was easily offended most of the time which usually ended up in many meaningless complaints.

Junior looked down as if he was actually bothered by himself. That, or he was expecting a compliment from the oldest Koopaling. This was not the case, however – Junior was actually ashamed about the way he acted before, but he wasn't ready to ignore that. He wanted to make things right with his family, and he thought that there was no better time to do so than now. He then quietly said to Ludwig, "Larry told me about it on the airship before you crashed it... He told me that I have to try being less annoying."

The oldest Koopaling nodded in agreement to the heir to the throne. Then it hit him – he knew from experience something that would possibly help Junior out quite a bit. He took a deep breath, and then quietly and softly explained to Junior, "I think you're just growing up." He smiled at the young Koopa, and continued, "When I was your age, I was possibly even more bothersome than you are now. I just didn't really have anyone else to annoy since I'm the oldest around here. I found out that as you age, you become more self-aware about the way you behave." Ludwig then stood up, and continued, "You'll just learn with experience." He then patted the youngest Koopa on the top of the head.

Junior smiled and nodded at Ludwig. "I guess I'll just learn with time," he then said to the oldest Koopaling.

"You sure will," replied Ludwig. "Now get some rest," he suggested. "We have some more exploring to do around here, and I don't want anyone to be tired."

"Sure thing, bro," said Junior. He then walked over to the pile of food that was approximately in the center of the room. Everyone else was gathered around there, snacking away on the unhealthy food – possibly the only food available in the entire area.

Larry saw the king's son approaching, so he waved at the young Koopa. Junior smiled at Larry, and then walked over.

"How are you doing right now?" Larry questioned Junior as he walked over.

"Not too bad at all," the youngest Koopa replied. He was mainly thinking about Ludwig's advice, so there wasn't much more on his mind than his behavior. "I just wish to be back home soon," he added.

Larry giggled. "So do I," he then said. He stepped over towards the heir to the throne, and said to him, "We'll be back there very soon. Just give it until tomorrow."

"I really hope that's the case," replied Junior, attempting his best to not whine about anything. He decided that he would at least prove to Larry that he was capable of behaving, mainly to show him that his advice worked. "With all of us," he then continued, "We'll find something, and we'll make it home really soon."

Larry smiled at his brother's optimism. Sadly, however, he didn't think that that would be the case. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling they'd be stranded for quite a bit more time than previously anticipated. "Let's just hope for the best," the youngest Koopaling then said. He didn't want to make everyone else think the same way he was thinking, even though chances are that they already were.

Larry turned around in order to take a look around the dark building. He was certain that there was nothing in there, but taking a look may be worth it. If he didn't find anything, then he would at least be killing some time.

The youngest Koopaling carefully walked to one end of the building in the dark for a moment before kicking something metallic with his feet. Everyone must've heard the tinny metallic note he produced because the room suddenly fell quiet.

"Seems like there's something on the ground," Larry then said in order to end the confusion. He closed his eyes for a moment to adjust to the darkness, and then opened them. Something on the ground in front of him was reflecting light into his eyes. Whatever it was, it looked to be made of metal. Moments later, Larry picked it up off of the dirt, and was interested in what he found – some sort of old oil lamp. He turned around moments later to find Junior standing behind him.

"What is it?" The youngest Koopa asked as he watched Larry.

Larry passed it over to Junior. "It seems to be some sort of lamp," he then explained.

Junior studied the lamp for a moment. It was quite dirty as if it had not been cleaned for a while, but it did have some weight to it. "Kind of interesting," he said after examining it for a moment. He then passed it back to Larry, who took it and noticed another detail about it – it felt as if there was some sort of liquid inside.

"Wait a second," the youngest Koopaling then said to the youngest Koopa. He further examined the lamp, and found that the base of the small lamp rotated, meaning that it could be unscrewed. Larry rotated it counter-clockwise as he would anything else that could be opened. It did rotate, and moments later, the bottom of the lamp came off. Something else came out with it – a putrid chemical odor that instantly wafted around the small building.

Iggy immediately recognized the smell, so he looked around and saw what Larry was holding. He walked over to his younger brother, who was waiting for someone to say something about what he just did. Sure, a couple Koopalings were complaining about the immediate odor, but Iggy put more thought into the smell.

"What did you find there?" Iggy asked Larry before anyone had the chance to say something negative to the youngest Koopaling.

"Just some sort of old lamp," Larry quietly replied under the pressure of everyone else taking notice in him.

"And it was just in here?" Iggy questioned with a someone happy look on his face.

"Just on the floor in here," Larry then replied, as quietly as before. "I accidentally stepped into it."

Just as Iggy was about to say something, Wendy walked over to he and Larry, obviously ready to complain due to the annoyed expression on her face. "What's that smell?" She then questioned her youngest brother in a somewhat annoyed manner. "Can't you see we're all in one building?"

Larry subtly nodded at Wendy. He didn't want to annoy her any further, so quietly said to her, "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be," replied Iggy, before Wendy could say anything else. "Let me see the base of that," he ordered Larry. Larry passed Iggy the base of the lamp, wondering what he wanted with it. Iggy examined it. After getting a good visual on the base of the lamp, he stuck one of his fingers inside. Iggy pulled it out, and liked what he saw – it was very oily.

"This is interesting," he muttered under his breath.

"What's so special about it?" Larry asked as he walked over to Iggy's side. He wanted to get away from Wendy at the same time, but he mainly wanted to find out why Iggy was so interested in the lamp.

"There was oil in here before you dumped it all out," replied Iggy. He looked up at his little brother only to see a worried expression on his face. To fix this, he said to Larry, "This means that the lamp had to be filled up with oil at some point."

Larry was about to apologize for the spilled oil, but then Iggy's ideology struck him – the lamp had to be filled up by someone, or else it would have had no oil in it. He looked up at his taller brother and smiled.

Wendy, watching her brothers talk about the lamp, wanted to complain about the fuel's smell, but she wasn't able to with the idea that just struck her. Obviously if there was someone to fill the lamp up, then that meant that there was someone around there. She stepped closer to Iggy and Larry, and then chillingly said to them, "We're not alone here."

"And that's a really good thing," replied Iggy. He was glad to see Wendy happy once more, mainly because she wouldn't be complaining about anything.

"Maybe someone lit it up here and left it behind," added Larry. "Which is why we saw that light appear, and then it went away."

"Exactly," replied Iggy.

At this point, Junior had walked off to take a look in another corner of the building. While he was doing that, however, he heard all the commotion coming from Larry's location. Being as curious as he was, he needed to check it out. Junior walked over to the group of three Koopalings to see what was going on. Beforehand, he was able to smell the lamp oil, and he didn't like the smell, but decided against saying anything about it as to not irritate anyone.

"What happened over here?" Junior then questioned upon walking over to the group.

Before anyone else could say anything, Iggy was ready to explain. As quickly as usual, he explained to Junior, "Larry spilled this fresh lamp oil everywhere. You know what fresh lamp oil out here means, right?" Iggy had fait in Junior – he assumed that the annoying Koopa would be able to piece that together in his mind. Apparently not, though, since Junior only shrugged at Iggy. Because he didn't get a reply, Iggy continued explaining, "That means that someone has to come out here to replace the oil in the lamp."

Junior's expression lifted upon hearing Iggy's words. If someone had been there recently, then that meant that someone would need to come back. "I think we're safe here," Junior then said to Iggy. If there was truly someone there, then theoretically they wouldn't have to go anywhere else because someone would have to return to the shed sooner or later.

"At least for the time being," replied Iggy. "I don't know if they're going to come back anytime soon." Apparently they were speaking quite loudly, or the room was just quiet inside. Being in the middle of the shed, Lemmy was able to hear every word being said in the group. Being partially intelligent, little Lemmy walked over to the group consisting of his brothers and sister with some more important information. They all looked at Lemmy as he walked up to the group. He looked back up at them, and then explained, "Someone's not going to be living in this kind of building. What do any of you think that means?"

All four Koopas looked down at their smallest brother; each with questioning looks on their faces. As he received no reply from any of them, Lemmy explained, "There must be a house somewhere around here. I don't think anyone would want to live in this place, so they must have somewhere where they live around here."

"Or it's some sort of abandoned place," replied Wendy.

"With fresh lamp oil," added Iggy, supporting Lemmy's reasoning.

Iggy smiled at Lemmy. Even though he wasn't the brightest one around, he was still quite capable of coming up with some useful information. "We have to get out of here as quickly as possible," Iggy then said, "And maybe we'll find someone, or at least something."

"I really like that idea," replied Junior, wanting to be accepted more. At that moment, he was still greatly thinking about Ludwig's words, along with Larry's. Maybe not being so opposed to anyone else's ideas would help him along the way.

"So do I," added Larry after a moment. He really liked the idea of leaving soon to find out whoever lived there, but he still wanted some time to rest and regain some energy. "I think we should still wait a little while just to get some rest," he then added.

"Good idea," replied Iggy. "I'll go tell Ludwig about what we found out." Iggy then separated himself from the group, and his sister followed along.

Lemmy, Larry, Iggy, and Junior were now standing around the oil lamp, each of them passing it off to one another since it was a rather interesting item.

In what was possibly close to the middle of the room, Ludwig was talking to Wendy about what Iggy found out. He was glad to hear that they were not alone there, and that there was a possibility of someone living close by. Roy and Morton were also listening in and speaking a small amount about the discovery. The large Koopalings were largely uninterested in the oil lamp itself, but they were interested in the fact that there was probably someone else out there with them. They wanted to find out who it was in order to explain the situation and get back home sooner. They were also snacking on the chips and soda that were brought along, as everyone was quite hungry due to everything that happened in the past several hours. They were essentially in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to stay or nothing much to eat, so they had to think quickly in order to make the most of the situation. One thing was for sure – they would be able to make it back home soon, and they would be able to tell Bowser about what they found out about the area and about their rather interesting misadventure.

At this point, around the old rusty oil lamp, Iggy and Lemmy passed it off to Junior and Larry, who were still examining it and talking about it. Lemmy and Iggy were chatting as their brothers handled the interesting discovery – talking about what they would do once they got home – if they ever made it back home.

"We're going to be stuck here forever and ever," Iggy quietly said to Lemmy as they both sat on the dirt floor of the building.

Lemmy only giggled at Iggy's joke. He knew that his taller brother wouldn't ever say such a thing to Lemmy – he would always attempt to stay as optimistic as the smaller Koopaling at all times, even if it meant getting into more trouble.

"Oh, stop it, you," Lemmy then said back to his brother. "You're going to be eaten alive by something out there." Lemmy had a big smile across his face – one that shouldn't have been there.

Iggy laughed, and then gently and playfully threw his smaller brother into the dirt, causing him to shriek quietly.

Lemmy got up off of the ground, and sighed. He really liked that Iggy was playing with him, but he would have rather preferred if they were at home to do the same thing. They wouldn't be back for quite some time, however, so all they had to do was to have fun in the current situation before they made it back home.

All eight Koopas in the building then sat in their places. They had nothing to do for the time being, but they were catching up on some much-needed rest. Everyone was tired, and the last time they had the chance to get some rest was back at the wreckage quite some time ago.

Some time later, silence fell upon the interior of the building due to something coming from outside. They all heard the same thing – dragging, along with very large and heavy footsteps. They all listened in for a moment, but the sound seemed to have stopped almost as soon as it started.

"What do you think that was?" The smallest one in the room nervously and silently asked everyone else.

"I have no idea," replied the oldest one with a whisper. "Just keep it down," he then silently commanded.

Everyone in the room listened to their oldest brother's orders. No one had any idea what was outside – it was definitely best to observe what it was for a moment before taking any sort of action.

There was more dragging, along with the same footsteps as before – the ones on grass that also sounded to be very heavy. It stopped once more, but continued moments later.

All eight Koopas in the room were keeping everything as silent as physically possible. None of them wanted to go outside only to find out that a rather hungry large animal was out there – not even Morton and Roy who were the largest ones.

Seconds later, something hit the side of the building, but only once. This startled everyone inside.

"We have to get out of here as quickly as possible," Ludwig then quietly said seconds after hearing the large thump on the wall.

"Once that thing is gone," Roy added from the center of he building.

At this point, the four Koopas who were sitting around the oil lamp had put it back down, and made their way over to the middle of the building so that everyone was closer together. They didn't want to be separated from everyone else as they were quite terrified of whatever was outside despite not knowing what it was. Lemmy was the most terrified in the group as he remembered what he saw in the woods. Even though it was probably just some sort of large animal, he was still quite bothered by it despite only seeing it for a brief moment. The rest of them, on the other hand, were just scared of the noise. They had no idea what it was – the fact that scared them the most.

Morton and Roy – being the largest Koopalings, were the ones most likely to take action against something that could potentially threaten their family. This time, however, was different. They didn't know whether the being outside was larger or smaller than they were. There was even the chance that it was much larger, and thus would have no issue tearing them to shreds. Since they have not been detected at this point, it was best to remain that way.

There was another thump on the wall after a moment, and then more footsteps. At this point, everyone was frozen in place with the fear of being detected. They didn't want anything finding out their location, let alone whatever large creature was outside.

The outdoor unknown entity seemed to be walking along the side of the building. They could hear it moving alongside the building with each grassy thump. It definitely sounded unwelcoming much like everything about the forest.

There was another thump against the wall of the building, albeit this time softer than before. Despite this, it still scared everyone inside. Everyone was paralyzed with fear. They didn't want to be noticed by whatever creature was outside, and they definitely didn't want to lose their lives due to some noise.

After what felt like forever, the grassy stepping and rustling outside started fading away, and it eventually stopped. Everyone was relieved to hear it disappear, but only just. They still had no idea if that thing was still around there, or if it finally disappeared for good.

"Think that thing out there is gone now?" Morton suddenly asked very quietly.

"I have no idea," the oldest Koopaling replied with a whisper. "Let's just keep it down for a while to see if it comes back here or not," he suggested towards his entire family. He wasn't able to see if they agreed or not, but he assumed they did mainly because everyone remained silent.

Some time passed without a single indication that there was something outside. It would have disappeared at this point, but the image remained clear in everyone's mind. No one wanted to think about it anymore, but thought was unavoidable. They had to continue on their adventure at some point, so staying in the building for much longer was not an option.

No one had said anything up to this point. Ludwig was thinking about their options in his head, and he had to let everyone know what he had in mind. They had been inside the building for more than enough time for a decent break, but the sounds of the outside creature left everyone paranoid that something was going to come after them. On a positive note, it seemed to be no longer there. They were safe for the time being, and hopefully they would find something as soon as they left the area. Being the one who everyone mostly looked up to, Ludwig had an announcement to make to the rest of his family.

"I think we should think of heading out quite soon," the oldest Koopaling said from the middle of the group. Everyone was sitting on the cold dirt floor of the building, so they looked over to their oldest brother.

"I just hope we stay safe out there," replied Lemmy with a slightly nervous tone. He was slightly more paranoid than anyone else in the building due to what he saw earlier, but at the same time, he wanted to get back home as much as everyone else wanted to.

"We will be just fine out there," replied Ludwig, leaning over and patting Lemmy on the top of the head.

"Let's just get going in a few minutes," Ludwig then said to everyone else in the room. They all subtly nodded back at him; some feeling confident about the woods, while others not feeling up for it. They all knew that they had to go sooner or later, and the sooner the better. Less time wasted meant less time taken to get back home.

Everyone in the small building remained on the floor, as there was nowhere else to sit. They would hopefully leave the place once and for all, and they would hopefully find salvation in the area. There was one building which meant that there had to be more around there. They'd find something – anything to help them get back home. The Koopa family would be back together soon – only time would tell.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think lies beyond the building's doors? Is that thing going to come back? Is there going to be somewhere for them to go beyond the doors? If you want to know right now, then too bad for you - you'll have to wait for the next chapter or two. (Hint: next one's going to be rather interesting.)<strong>

**Update frequency may slow down just a bit at this point, mainly because I'm under some stress at the moment with so much to do. I only have so much time everyday to write - some of which is taken up by quite a few other stuff. I guess I can say that my mind is being "loaded down" a little more than usual, and an overworked brain does not do too well when it comes to writing story. I won't be writing as much on my free time as I currently am, but I'm still going to do it quite a bit. Don't worry about it - it's not like I'm going to update once a month or anything. Probably expect weekly updates, which is still quite good if you ask me. **

**So, as with any other chapter, feel free to leave behind a review telling me pretty much anything you want to. **

**I guess I'll write back to you guys later on this week some time. I have some extreme interestingness planned out for next chapter, so keep an eye out for it!**

**- Pissed off Canadian**


	12. There is Nothing to Worry About

**Chapter 9: There is Nothing to Worry About**

"I think we should be getting quite close now," the older brother said over the noisiness of the car.

"I sure hope so," the younger one replied. "It's been long enough."

They'd been on the road for a couple hours at this point, but their destination was nowhere to be seen. One thing was for sure – they had to get there soon in order to find out what was going on.

* * *

><p>"We should think about heading out now," the oldest one in the building suddenly suggested to everyone else.<p>

Everyone in there looked over at him. There were some who were ready to leave as soon as possible, and some who wouldn't mind staying longer. They had to leave sooner or later, though, which made staying for too much longer not really an option.

"You think it's safe out there?" A rather small voice soon questioned. He was still worried about everything going on, and he really didn't want to leave. To the smallest one, staying in the building until morning seemed like a better option, but he also knew that they had to leave as quickly as possible. The sooner they found something, the sooner they'd be able to go back home. They would have to leave quite soon, and the sooner the better.

The oldest one in the room – Ludwig – looked back at his smallest brother. He didn't want Lemmy to be scared of anything, so he asked the small Koopaling, "Is there still something bothering you?"

Lemmy nodded back at his oldest brother. Yes – he was still scared of what he saw earlier in the woods, but based on what his family told him about it earlier, he knew what they'd tell him – that it was just some large animal, and that he didn't need to worry about it. Despite what everyone would tell him, Lemmy quietly said to Ludwig with a slightly shaky tone, "That thing I saw in the woods earlier... I don't want to see it again."

Ludwig walked over to his smallest brother, and kneeled down in front of him. He didn't want Lemmy to be meaninglessly scared of anything as he was certain that they were in a safe place. He then calmly said to the smallest one, "We already went over this. There's nothing to be scared of out here because we're all here. We'll all be able to protect each other and keep you safe."

Lemmy smiled at his oldest brother, but that didn't indicate that the fear at the back of his mind subsided. He wanted to be certain about what he saw, but with no evidence pointing to what it was, that was impossible. He still wasn't happy with the information he received, but there didn't seem like much that could be done. He could only hope that everything progresse smoothly.

Iggy, who was right next to Lemmy, didn't like seeing Lemmy the way he was – not very happy and with his head down slightly. He knew that he had to do something to cheer Lemmy up, so he reassuringly said to the small Koopaling, "It was just some sort of large animal like we told you already. You have nothing to worry about."

"But you didn't see it!" Lemmy angrily shouted back at Iggy. He knew what he saw wasn't welcoming despite not getting a close-up view. Everyone attempting to convince him that the sight was insignificant was really starting to anger the little Koopaling. He only wanted someone to believe him, but no one did.

Lemmy fell into a fit of tears moments later, causing Iggy to move in a little closer. Sure, Lemmy was angry at him for attempting to get him to ignore what he saw earlier, but he didn't want Lemmy to feel that way.

Moments later, Iggy kneeled down next to his smaller and angered brother. He didn't want to anger Lemmy anymore than he already was – Iggy wanted to cheer up his smaller brother, but that would be difficult for him to do. "I think you're worrying about it a bit too much," Iggy then softly said to his smaller brother. "We're all going to be here for each other," he then continued, still trying to get his intended words across to Lemmy. "We'll keep an eye out for that thing you saw. If we see it, then we'll have quite a bit of time to react."

"We sure will," Roy added, suddenly walking in closely to Lemmy and Iggy. The large Koopaling was certain that he'd be able to protect his family no matter what the circumstance was, and he wanted to be sure that Lemmy knew that. "I'll keep you safe no matter what happens," the largest Koopaling then said to the smallest.

Lemmy looked up at Roy with his eyes red and his bottom lip quivering. He didn't like the fact that he just shouted at Iggy for being concerned for him, and his taller brother was the only thing on his mind. He liked to see that Roy was concerned for him, but he knew he needed to apologize to Iggy. Lemmy cracked a slight smile at his largest brother before turning his attention over to Iggy, who was right at his side.

Iggy was able to see that Lemmy was quite sad, so he placed his arm around the small Koopaling in an attempt to cheer him up. Lemmy smiled slightly before more tears came rolling down his face. "It's alright," Iggy then softly said to his smaller brother, gently rocking him back and forth at the same time. Lemmy's breathing slowed as he did this, bringing peace of mind to Iggy, and more importantly, comfort to Lemmy.

"Nothing's going to hurt you as long as we're all here," Iggy then quietly said to Lemmy. The smaller one looked back up at Iggy, and smiled before wrapping his one arm around his taller brother.

At this point, Lemmy was very grateful to have some of his family members there for him. He looked up after a moment, and saw that everyone else in the group was looking at him with concerned looks on each of their faces. Everyone looked to be somewhat worried, but relieved at the same time. They were worried for Lemmy's well being, but they were relieved to see that he was alright after Iggy spoke with him.

"I just hope we all make it back safe," the smallest Koopaling then quietly said to everyone who was concerned for him – everyone in the building. Lemmy only wished for everyone to stay together once they left the building. He did not want to come face to face with anything too big, and he certainly didn't want anyone to end up getting hurt. "As long as we stick together," Lemmy then said to everyone else amongst occasional sniffles, "We'll be able to keep each other safe."

"We'll stick together," replied Ludwig, gently sliding his hand over Lemmy's hair. He continued, "The only reason for us to separate is if we have to. In that case, you can go with someone."

Lemmy didn't like the idea of separating from the rest of his family in the dark woods, but he did understand Ludwig's reasoning. His oldest brother was correct – there really wouldn't be a reason to separate, but if there was, then it would only be for good cause.

Iggy listened to what Ludwig said, and he strongly agreed with his oldest sibling. He then pulled Lemmy into a warm embrace, and softly explained, "You can come with me if we have to separate for any reason, and I'll keep you safe. If there's anything out there, it will have to get through me before it has the chance to get to you."

Lemmy smiled at his tallest brother for saying that, and he grabbed onto Iggy relatively tightly.

Both Lemmy and Iggy hugged each other for a little while. Everyone else in the room watched onward, relieved to see their smallest brother happy once more. He almost always was, and it usually took quite a bit to change that, but they were happy to see him back to normal.

Some time passed, and Lemmy and Iggy let go of each other. Both of them felt quite a bit better knowing that the other one was alright. Lemmy really liked what Iggy offered to him – for them to stay together no matter what. He sure didn't want to be alone, and Iggy offering to be with him the entire time while they were out of the castle was one of the best things he heard all day.

Ludwig was watching over Lemmy and Iggy for the entire time that they were enjoying each other's company. He loved that he was able to help out his beloved brothers, and nothing made him happier than seeing them happy after a conflict.

Despite Lemmy and Iggy making rights with each other and being quite happy about it, Ludwig had something else on his mind – exploring more around the area. He needed to take a good look around to see if there was anything there that could help them get back home, and he agreed to not separate from the rest of his family for any reason. He needed to be there with them, and they would want him there at all times. He knew the most about the area, along with the direction where they should be travelling. Despite being the one who wrongfully landed everyone else there in the first place, no one was about to give up on their oldest brother just yet.

The oldest Koopaling then kneeled down beside Lemmy and Iggy, ready to tell them that they had to get going. He placed his hands on both of their heads, and softly said to his embraced brothers, "We have to get going from here very soon. I want to see what's out there."

Both Lemmy and Iggy looked back at their oldest brother. He was looking at them with a concerned look, most likely because he knew that that they wouldn't be happy about leaving so soon – which was the case. Lemmy and Iggy were both quite shaken up about the entire situation, and leaving would only make matters worse for them. Neither of them bothered to argue about it, since they knew that they would have to leave some time sooner or later.

Lemmy widened his eyes slightly – enough to give Ludwig a helpless look – and then quietly said to him, "Maybe just in a few more minutes."

"That's what I had planned the entire time," the oldest Koopaling replied, completely ignoring Lemmy's wide-eyed stare. He would need some time to gather up the rest of the family, so his plan was to leave within a few minutes. "You guys can have a bit more time in here," Ludwig then said to Lemmy and Iggy. Both inseparable Koopalings smiled at him before he got up and walked over to everyone else in the building. This wasn't a very long distance – Ludwig made it over to the rest of his family with all of them staring back at him. At this point, Lemmy and Iggy stopped holding onto each other, and followed their oldest brother over to where the rest of their family was in the building – approximately in the middle of it.

Ludwig looked back at everyone there, and said to them, "I think we should head out of here really soon."

Morton looked back over at his oldest brother, and said back to him, "We were able to hear you over there as you were talking really loudly."

"Then I assume you all know what I have planned out," replied Ludwig. "We just have to get out of here really soon as we have to see what's out there," he then continued.

All his siblings, except Lemmy and Iggy, nodded at Ludwig. They agreed with his plan as the small building which they were in was starting to grow eerie. It was very dark in there, and whatever was just outside earlier didn't help the situation one bit. That didn't matter at this point, however, since they were about to leave, thus they would never have to look at that building again.

"We should leave in five minutes," Ludiwig then suddenly said to everyone else in the room. As much as they liked being in the only shelter they've seen for quite some time, they had to leave very soon. Being in a very remote location, there was limited probability of there being anything else out there, but that didn't mean that there would be nothing. They had to leave in order to answer that question, but until then, it would remain unanswered.

All seven younger Koopas in the building went back to what they were previously doing moments later, and Ludiwg joined them. At this point, everyone was together – safe from the elements – out of harm's way. There really wasn't much to be worried about – but that would soon change.

* * *

><p><strong>Here it is – a somewhat short chapter that leads to finding out what's in the open. I had to take a bit of a break from writing due to me being quite busy, but here it is. I had plans to make this quite a bit longer, but I found out that this length was decent, plus it'll keep what happened in this chapter separate from upcoming ones.<strong>

**Up next: what's on the other side of the doors. Is there nothing? Something interesting? Something sickening? Dangerous? I'll keep you waiting for that one! I already know the answer, but you'll have to wait for it. I'll let you know one thing: I'll probably have a really good time writing what's to come. I don't think there's much better than that – the writer enjoying the writing, and possibly the reader enjoying the same thing. **

**So, please leave a review behind if you wish, and I'll see you next time on "Misadventure in the Darkness". **


	13. Somewhere Seemingly Safe

**Chapter 10: Somewhere Seemingly Safe**

The door of the large building pushed open relatively easily, but not without a very loud creak. It was apparent that the hinges had not been maintained for quite some time, but the conclusion had already been made that the building was quite old. There was definitely someone sticking around there, but apparently they did not bother maintaining their old building. After all, the building would most likely end up being vacant for quite some time as soon as all eight Koopas left it alone.

Refracted moonlight flooded in, attempting to light up the interior of the dark shed. Some time had passed since the doors were last open, but it was time to leave the building in search of something else. The environment outside had not been altered since it was last viewed – the same trees were there – nothing around had been disturbed.

There was only one in the group who was completely unwelcomed by the sight of the outdoors – the smallest one. Everyone in general was shaken by whatever was treading around outside, but Lemmy was downright terrified. In the back of his mind, something was telling him that at was dangerous – that it was out to get him. The small Koopaling had no control over those thoughts; they were always there – irrational; unexplainable. His favorite brother Iggy, who was at his side, was able to recognize the fear which Lemmy was experiencing. He placed his hand around his smallest brother and pulled him close as everyone stood around the exit.

Everyone else in general was experiencing fear, though not to the same extent as the smallest Koopaling.

The oldest one – the one seemingly in charge, had previous plans to vacate the small wooden building as quickly as possible when he heard the sound outside. This seemed like the easiest and safest option – had there been something unwelcoming out there, then they would have ample time to clear the area before it returned. Had it been a large animal as previously guessed, then there was a very weak chance that it would return in search for the Koopalings. He needed to announce something to his family in order to give Lemmy more peace of mind. The last thing Ludwig wanted to deal with was one of his brothers scared out of their mind. Ludwig took the responsibility of flying through the storm in the first place, so he automatically took up the responsibility in making sure that everyone in the group was mentally stable. He stepped forth through the wooden doors, and calmly said to everyone inside, "We have to look out for any dangers or hazards. In the case that one of us sees something, then we immediately stop where we are, and try to find somewhere to take cover until said threat passes."

Lemmy knew that the message was directed right towards him. No one else was scared to the same extent as he was, giving Ludwig no one else to direct his message to. The smallest Koopaling wanted to feel immediately safe due to what his brother explained to everyone, but the thoughts in the back of his mind would not let him. Despite everything that everyone told him, Lemmy was certain that he wouldn't be able to feel safe beyond the walls of the abandoned building. He didn't exactly want to tell everyone that he was afraid of going outside, as that was possibly their only option in finding somewhere safe to be. He also didn't want to be ignored by his siblings, so the small Koopaling walked up to his oldest brother, and explained to him, "I still don't really feel safe going out there."

Lemmy didn't go into much detail in the words to his oldest brother, but Ludwig knew exactly what his smallest brother was talking about. He, too, like everyone else, didn't really want to head out, but they all knew that that was the only option. He kneeled down in front of Lemmy, and was able to see that his small brother's eyes were slightly teary. Obviously he was the most bothered in the room, and Ludwig knew that he had to do something about Lemmy's well-being – part of his responsibility of keeping everyone as happy as possible.

Moments later, Ludwig carefully explained to his smallest sibling, "Like I said before, everyone is going to keep each other safe. If we see anything out there, it's not going to be able to get to you. I just want you to understand that we have to leave as soon as possible, but you will be safe out there."

Despite everything that was said to him, Lemmy wasn't able to feel completely safe about leaving so early. He would rather have left sometime the next morning, but knowing what Ludwig agreed on with everyone, that was not an option. He had to come to terms with the conditions, or else he would probably be dragged out with everyone else. Despite feeling a general sensation of fear flowing through him, Lemmy quietly and nervously replied to Ludwig, "I'm feeling better now. It's the best option, and I want to go home. We can't go home without leaving here first and finding someone or something out there." He then smiled at Ludwig – still scared, but he was able to come to terms with his brother's decision.

Ludwig reached over to Lemmy upon receiving the response he wanted, and gently patted him on the top of the head. Nothing much made Ludwig feel better than helping out one of his siblings, and in the current situation, he needed to do his best to keep up with the demands of his family. "We're all going to be fine," he then said to the small Koopaling. "We're going to be home really soon, and nothing is going to hurt you on the way back."

Lemmy still wasn't able to feel completely safe due to only what Ludwig said to him, but he certainly felt better about leaving. Everyone else would be with him – able to help him if he were to get scared; able to protect him if he were to get into any trouble. At least he had peace of mind – enough to get him motivated enough to explore the area with the rest of his family. "Let's get out of here, then," Lemmy nervously mumbled after a moment.

Ludwig nodded at Lemmy once he received his response. He was deeply satisfied to see Lemmy willing to leave, as he would've had no choice otherwise. Exploring the area was their top priority at the moment – something that needed to be done no matter what. "Let's get going then," Ludwig then said to the rest of his family. He momentarily looked back at everyone, and observed that they all nodded at him. He then turned around, and stepped through the somewhat large wooden door of their temporary shelter.

The air was cool as everyone stepped outside moments later; humid, and damp. The moon was hidden behind the grey clouds which originated at the storm, but some light still managed to make its way through.

The night was cool – relatively average; insects could be heard singing all around, and the breeze was audible as it rustled around leaves and needles on various trees. There was no other sounds being made around there other than the normal sounds of nature – a big relief to those who were scared of the area.

Ludwig, being the one in charge, scanned around in search of any sort of lead. Not much could be seen in the darkness, but he did manage to get an idea of their surroundings – many trees beyond the small clearing where the building was situated. There was nothing more around them – just trees, and some sort of overgrown road which seemed to come into the clearing – exactly what Ludwig wanted to see.

"Let's go over to that break in the tree line," Ludwig said, pointing at a gap in the trees. Leading to it, there seemed to be some sort of gravel road. If anything, it was the road which would take them to any sign of life. He was excited to see the road, and wanted to see the other end of it. He looked back at his family, and noticed that they all seemed to have lightened up after seeing the road ahead. "If anything's going to get us anywhere," he continued, "Then it's that road. Let's find out what's on the other end of it."

Everyone agreed, and then started walking over to the road along with Ludwig. He was the first one in line, with everyone else following closely. The grass in this area was not nearly as tall as any other place in the clearing. The side of the small building was the tallest, while the rest of it was only a few centimeters tall. Perhaps someone occasionally came around to maintain it – positively supporting their main goal of finding someone.

Everyone arrived at the edge of the clearing, and sure enough, there was a road there. It seemed to have not been used in many years, as grass was covering the original gravel and many branches were in the way. Despite the darkness, most details were pronounced enough to be made out.

"I guess we just have to see what's at the end of this road," Ludwig said to everyone else in the group as they walked along.

Everyone in general was feeling much more at ease now that they had something to follow. Ludwig was ready to help out anyone in his family – he was walking ahead of everyone else, as his excellent leadership abilities allowed everyone to have faith in his decisions. Sure, he originally landed them there in the first place, but that one decision alone was a bad one in many good ones which were made in the past. He also felt as though it was his responsibility to keep everyone safe as they all looked up to him as the oldest brother. He had good feelings about the situation – he was certain that everyone would be home by the next day.

Lemmy, walking alongside Iggy with everyone else, was feeling much more confident that he and the rest of his family would remain safe. Before, as they aimlessly walked around the woods, Lemmy was scared – mainly due to what he saw during the storm, but also about the thought of being stranded out in the woods. Now, however, he was with his family, and they now had a path to follow. Sure, there was no guarantee that there would be something on the other end, but it was enough to ease the negative thoughts at the back of Lemmy's mind. In general, Lemmy was feeling much more confident, and he could not wait to get back home. In fact, he was beginning to feel excitement about returning home very soon.

Roy was feeling much more confident than ever before. They had somewhere to go – to the end of the road, and he would do anything he could to assure that everyone made it there without a scratch. Roy was very powerful, and he knew when to use his power. If anything was to hurt his family, it would have to get through him first. Roy knew that they would be home by the next day if everything went to plan. He was certain that the road would lead them to somewhere good, and he wanted to waste no time getting there.

Iggy had two responsibilities on hand at the moment – first was to keep his easily unhinged mind in check, and the other was to reassure his older yet smaller brother whenever necessary. At the moment, Lemmy was doing well, but that could quickly change if he were to see anything frightening. Iggy himself wasn't too keen on the entire situation, especially being out in the open in the middle of the night, but he understood his eldest brother's reasoning. After thinking about it, Iggy knew it was best to act suddenly in order to make it back home as quickly as possible.

Wendy was more annoyed than anything about the circumstances. She would rather be back home enjoying her free time, but she fully understood that she would have to wait a while before that was a possibility. Despite what she was put through, Wendy was able to keep her head up – she was certain that everyone would be back home soon. They would only have to get there first. Since they had a path to follow at that moment, Wendy was able to keep a more positive outlook on the circumstances, and she was able to believe that they were safe.

Morton wasn't too keen on what was going on around him with the situation, but he wasn't too bothered by it either. Sure, he was about as scared as everyone else, but he was able to remain positive enough to believe that they would make it back home soon. Morton was also quite strong – and willing to help out anyone if they were to get into any trouble. Morton was willing to scare off any sort of predators, and he was also willing to fend off any unwelcome guests. He couldn't wait to get back home, but he saw the airship crash as an opportunity for adventure.

Larry was somewhat shaken about the entire situation, but he knew that things could have certainly gone worse. Everyone was alright, and that's all he was concerned about. He was able to keep his head up enough to know that everyone would make it back safely, and nothing would make him stop thinking that way. He knew that everyone had to remain positive, and he would try his best to assure that everyone remained that way. Larry wouldn't let someone think negatively about their progress, and if they did, he'd do anything he could to change that. Generally, Larry had a good feeling about what was to come. He and the rest of his siblings would be home soon, and there was nothing that would make him stop thinking that way, or so he thought.

Junior didn't really care about the ordeal – except that would be the case if he wasn't forced to walk around outside all night with many terrifying noises around him. On the plus side, he learned that Larry was willing to help him become more bearable, and that was one of his top priorities at the time. He thought about this mainly to not annoy anyone in his family, but also so he became more likeable in the future. He would have lots of time to live by Larry's advice, but at the moment he needed to stay on top of his behavior in order to appeal to everyone else.

All in all, the group of eight Koopas were feeling much better about the situation than before now that they had a path to follow. Before, everyone was just aimlessly walking around the woods, trying to find anything that would lead them to safety. Now, however, they had a road in front of them – one that would presumably take them somewhere safe. Now all that was left was to find whatever was at the end of that road. Not much more time would be needed presuming that the road wasn't very long. Leading out to what was seemingly the middle of nowhere went against that idea, but nothing was out of the realm of possibility.

Everyone headed down the dimly lit road which would presumably take everyone somewhere safe. There were no immediate dangers out in the location where they were at, but there was also no guarantee that the area was safe. If anything, large wildlife would be the only thing that needed to be dealt with, and deterring anything was the best idea. Morton's occasional shout seemed to be doing the trick, as the walk had been rather uneventful up until this point. There had been no sign of life except for the trees which were closing in on the road, narrowing it down as time went on. It was still wide enough for all eight Koopas to walk along comfortably, but there was a slim chance of nothing more than a small car making it through.

About ten minutes had passed at this point, and the journey had remained rather uneventful. On their way down the road, no one had seen much more than a few bats, and heard much more than some small rodents. They had come to the conclusion that there was nothing there, and all they would have to do would be to follow the road in case it lead anywhere useful. There obviously had to be something at the end of it, or else it would have not been built in the first place.

There wasn't too much interaction happening between everyone in the group. They were all still under some shock due to everything that was going on, and they also wanted to focus every ounce of energy into finding something. Even though everyone was still slightly shocked, they all felt better mostly because they had a path to follow. There had to be something at the end of it, as there would otherwise be no purpose for the road to be built.

According to the youngest one in the group, everyone was being too quiet. He usually liked to have some background noise around him, and if there wasn't any, then he would normally create it. Junior began by saying to everyone, "I sure hope there's something at the end of this road."

Ludwig looked back at everyone in the group just to check on them. At the same time, he said back to Junior, "Of course there's going to be something on the other end. Why do you think this road was put here?"

"He has a bit of a point," Larry interrupted in attempt to save Junior some explaining. He fully understood the youngest one's reasoning, and Junior was more likely to make matters worse by whining about the lack of events. "We don't really know how long this road is."

"How about you stop making everything seem so horrible," Wendy said out of nowhere. She really only wanted some quiet time, and she was enjoying it before her brothers ruined it for her.

"That's the only thing somewhat negative thing I've said the entire time!" Larry exclaimed. He didn't want to annoy Wendy anymore, so he then said to her, "We shouldn't get our hopes up until we actually find something. Let's keep going down this path, and we'll eventually find out if there's anything nearby."

"That's what we've been doing the entire time, Larry," said Ludwig. "I think if there's anything, then it's not going to be too much farther ahead."

The group was about ten minutes down the road since they left the small wooden building. If there was anything out in the wilderness, then it wouldn't take much longer for them to come across it. They had been walking for what seemed like an eternity, and they hadn't come across anything more than the standard forest which was covering most of the landscape.

"It would be kind of pointless for a road to go really far into the middle of nowhere," interrupted Junior. "This has to lead to somewhere, but we still have to find that out."

Wendy, being incrementally annoyed every time one of her brothers argued, quickly said in response to Junior, "Of course we still have to find out what's on the other end of the road. If you can't see already, we're making it there. You should just keep your mouth shut."

There was a moment of silence in the group as quickly as Wendy put an end to her rant. No one wanted to hear anything else from her after she mouthed off Junior – except one. Larry was very annoyed with his sister at this point, but he was able to maintain his composure. "How about we just keep going," he suggested, particularly directing his comment towards his only sister. "If we argue about something as meaningless as where this road is going to take us, then we might as well split up."

"Not at all," Lemmy interrupted, turning over to face Larry and Wendy. At this point, the entire group was stopped in their tracks – everyone who wasn't part of the meaningless argument was watching it over, and everyone involved was getting tired of each other. "I don't want to split up. We agreed to stick together," Lemmy then said with the fear of being alone in the woods.

Larry walked over to his smaller brother as he was going to cheer Lemmy up. Lemmy seemed to be particularly scared at that moment, so Larry, being as nice as he was, had to do something about it. Iggy was already holding onto his favorite brother, but Larry helped him out by explaining to Lemmy, "I was only talking theoretically. Of course we're not going to split up, as that's probably one of the best ways for something to happen to one of us. We have to stick together, but I was just telling her that we may as well split up if we're going to work against one another."

Lemmy looked up at Larry and smiled. He was glad to see that Iggy wasn't the only one there who cared about him, and that Larry cared as well. Larry was usually like that, but Lemmy was glad to have Larry there especially when he needed it most.

Larry smiled back at Lemmy momentarily, and then turned around and loudly announced to everyone else, "Now let's keep going to find out what's at the end of the road. If anyone is willing to start another stupid conflict with someone else, then you can walk at the back of the pack. I don't want to have to listen to everyone arguing about nothing – all I want to do is make it home safely, and I'm sure you all want to do the same."

"Whatever," Wendy scoffed, and then turned forward to avoid interaction with any of her brothers. Everyone else did the same – listening to Larry's kind words. Normally, if there was any sort of conflict in his family, Larry liked to do something about it mainly to avoid having to listen to it. He also liked to keep the peace most of the time, so he did his best to assure that his siblings followed order. If he was ever dragged into conflict with anyone, then not much effort would be needed to convince him to back down. Everyone liked Larry for that, which is why they all listened to him instantaneously.

Ludwig was momentarily distracted by something up ahead down the road a little ways. The path seemed to be widening up ahead somewhere – less dense foliage was blocking the path; it appeared to be clearer than what had previously been walked through. He preferred not to say anything about the presumed clearing of the path – he didn't want to excite anyone in his family just to have disappointed once they arrived.

It didn't take long for everyone else in the group to see what their oldest brother was staring at. The remaining seven in the group all looked up ahead, and were able to see the widening of the road. It was still some distance off, but everyone was nearing with every step.

Lemmy, despite being quite terrified of the thought of being alone in the dark, instantly lightened up as he saw what was ahead. Despite his point of view being relatively close to the ground, Lemmy was able to see the path widening as much as everyone else. His previous worries diminished into unnoticeable and forgotten thoughts at the back of his mind. He brimmed with excitement momentarily, and was no longer able to contain it. Lemmy jumped up and down and loudly shouted to everyone on the road, "There's something up ahead! There's something up ahead! We found something!"

Iggy quickly grabbed Lemmy to calm him down. He, like everyone else, was more relieved than anything to see the road widening up ahead. The dim moonlight made it barely noticeable, but something was welcoming about the path ahead.

After more walking, it was clear that the narrow road widened up to something that couldn't be seen at this point. There still wasn't enough light coming from the sky above to make out any details, but there were no trees visible ahead. The forest seemed to have opened up, which was possibly one of the best things to be seen at that time and location. There also seemed to be something up ahead – something which didn't seem to have a name, but would require further investigation.

"There definitely has to be something over there," Ludwig said, interrupting the brief moment of silence which fell upon the group.

Ludwig's words alone were enough to lighten up everyone. They were all waiting to come across anything, and it seemed like that wish would finally be fulfilled.

With everyone's mood lifting by the second, they pressed on down the road, looking out for details along the way. Due to the darkness, many details were hidden, but some could be made out, such as the building-like shapes off in the distance. Or, they had to be buildings, as the conclusion that they were not alone had already been previously made. There had to be something out there, or else that wooden building would have not been there. Someone was around there, but they would just have to find out who it is. The buildings ahead indicated that they would finally have somewhere to be; somewhere to keep safe until they could make the final journey back home.

Some minutes later; some steps down the road, more was visible. There were more buildings in sight; more signs of hope. The destination was right ahead – one that would hopefully take a key role in helping the Koopalings get back home.

"We finally found civilization," Ludwig mumbled to himself, albeit a bit too loudly – enough for everyone else to hear. This was not a bad thing, however, as everyone else was excited in seeing what was ahead. There definitely was something which would be very enlightening to take a look at.

About another minute passed, and it was very clear where the Koopalings had made it to. The road continued, but it seemed to go through some sort of town. There were no lights around, indicating that either everyone was asleep there, or the place was empty. The dim moonlight wasn't much, but it allowed them to take in the details of the place – worn out and grey wood, much like what was on the side of the shed which they were previously in. The roads were worn out and dirty, but the buildings still looked useable.

Everyone stopped as soon as they made it to what was presumably the main street of the town. They had to look around, as this was possibly one of the safest places where they were. No one had any idea what was out there, but they finally discovered something – their main objective, and the reason they left the castle in the first place. There was only one main negative aspect about the town – they had nowhere to go in it; nowhere to start looking. No one in the group even had any idea that the place existed, so they faced the challenge of finding someone in it, as there was obviously someone kicking around.

"I think we should start off by searching the streets," Ludwig said to the rest of his siblings. He decided that if they were to start looking at that moment, that they might find something useful. The place looked livable, so there must have been something around there.

"I think we should just find a house or somewhere to say," Lemmy suggested. He was quite tired, as was everyone else, and he was also slightly spooked about the place. The darkness didn't help, and neither did the abandoned look of it.

"I think we should maybe look for something, but we should also find a place to say," Iggy added. He liked Lemmy's response, but he also wanted to do a bit of exploring. Mainly in search of anything useful, but Iggy was also interested in the abandoned town.

Ludwig, as much as he wanted to agree with everyone, was certain that their best bet would be to search for useful items, or for whoever was sticking around. There was certainly much to be seen, and he wanted to start looking right away. "I want to take a look around here," Ludwig then said to Lemmy and Iggy, along with everyone else in the group.

Everyone looked around at each other for a moment. Mostly everyone agreed to Ludwig, since actually finding something seemed like a bit of a dream. It was apparent that the town was abandoned, making the chance of actually finding something in it just that much less probable. Sure, there was probably someone kicking around, but no one knew where that someone would be. They could be anywhere, and it was best to waste no time in finding them.

"We have to think of a strategy to be as efficient as possible," Ludwig said. "Now that we're here, there's bound to be something. We just have to look for it."

Everyone nodded in response, but they didn't actually know what Ludwig meant. To most, his plan would work out just fine, but to others it seemed very dangerous and just the perfect way to ask for disaster. In the eyes of the oldest one, his plan only appeared as a quick way to find something, but in the eyes of some younger ones it seemed like a very bad idea. "We should split up for a little while," the oldest Koopaling then said to the rest of his group. He was essentially in charge of them, but he was open to opposing decisions.

Lemmy and Iggy both shuddered at the thought of separating from the rest of the group – especially Lemmy. He absolutely did not want to leave everyone behind, especially after seeing that thing in the woods earlier, and especially in the middle of an abandoned town. If he was with Iggy, then he felt like everything would be better, but he still disliked the idea of becoming separate groups. Ludwig's idea made sense to both of them, however – four smaller groups could cover more ground than one. They had to accept Ludwig's plan, as it seemed like a great way to find something quickly.

"Is everyone alright with that?" Ludwig questioned. He didn't know how to separate everyone – he decided that the best decision to be made would be to let everyone choose their own partner in order to avoid any conflict.

He didn't get many responses except for a couple nods from Morton and Roy. They usually spent quite a bit of time together, and they were able to get stuff done if they ever needed to. Both of them were strong – ready to take someone down if they had to; ready to contribute to the plan of getting back home safely.

Everyone else in the group only stared back at Ludwig with questioning looks on their faces. He remembered the promise made to not separate anyone, but the town seemed like a promising place to do such a thing. There were many buildings around the place, most of which were still intact, and not in bad condition. Four smaller groups would be able to cover more ground faster than one large one, which was the main fact for his reasoning. Most of his siblings would not like doing so, but they had to if they were going to find something really soon. The oldest Koopaling only wanted the best for everyone, and he would do anything in his power to achieve that.

Seconds later, presumably after thinking about it for a moment, Larry quietly said to Ludwig, "I think that should work." The youngest Koopaling was torn between wanting to stay with his family, and looking around at the place. He didn't mind the thought of looking around, but he also wanted to be within the security of everyone else. Junior, standing beside Larry, nodded in agreement. He didn't want to annoy everyone else with his opinion, so agreeing with Larry seemed like the best option.

Ludwig had two groups formed already – which he may have to change up depending on the circumstances. Larry and Junior would be fine together since they seemed to be sticking close to each other lately. Perhaps they found out more about each other. Now was not the time to ask – bringing everyone home safely was certainly Ludwig's top priority, and he didn't want to introduce any distractions.

He thought for another moment about the other group which was already formed. Both of them were very strong – able to fight off any sort of danger, as well as easily make their way through something if needed. Perhaps they were best grouped with someone else – Morton with someone, and Roy with someone else. Ludwig didn't know what they would think of that idea, but it didn't hurt to ask. He stepped over to them, and explained, "I think it might be better for you guys to go with someone else. You know – just to keep someone safe. We have to keep everyone balanced, if you will, if we are to split up. You don't want someone getting hurt with no one able to help."

Morton and Roy looked at each other for a moment. They both thought that Ludwig's idea made sense. They abruptly nodded at each other, and then turned back to their oldest brother. "Sounds like a plan," Morton replied. He would be able to keep someone smaller safe, and so would Roy. They definitely had a plan going – hopefully one that would bring them back home really soon.

"I'll go with anyone, I guess," Morton said to his oldest brother.

"And I can go with someone else," Roy added.

"We have to think of a meeting place," Ludwig said, bringing in a completely new concern. If they were to split up, then they would have to make it back to a central location to assure that everyone was alright. They didn't know anything about where they were, so it was best to take as many precautions as possible.

"Maybe just around here," Morton suggested.

Ludwig looked around momentarily – they were in front of a relatively plain two-story wooden structure with the windows boarded up on it. What differentiated it from every other sparsely placed building on their street was the false third floor which was reminiscent to old buildings. This place seemed old, but they would have to find out more information about it later on. Now, they had to focus on their objective – to find whoever was hanging around there. "This place seems to be about as good as any," Ludwig said. "Perhaps we can all gather around here in approximately forty-five minutes."

At this point, everyone else was crowding around Ludwig, Morton, and Roy – listening into what the three were discussing.

"I don't really want to separate from everyone," Lemmy interrupted. Despite everything that had been said to him before, he still wasn't completely convinced about the safety of separating from the rest of the group.

Upon hearing Lemmy's fear, Iggy kneeled down next to his smaller brother. He was feeling much better about everything since finding the town, but he knew that Lemmy definitely wasn't feeling the same way. He had to assure the tiny Koopaling's well-being, as well as his own. "We have a place to be now," Iggy softly said to Lemmy as he grabbed his hand. "We now have a place to look at. Before, we had nothing, but now I guarantee we'll find something. If these buildings are here, then there's going to be something. We can't be too far from anywhere else."

Larry, also being able to see Lemmy's fear, stepped towards him and Iggy. "We're going to be just fine," he quietly and softly said to Lemmy as he caressed the small Koopaling over the top of the head.

Lemmy smiled at Larry, and then latched onto Iggy, but he still didn't feel completely safe. However, Lemmy did feel much better since his brothers reassured him, and that's probably all he needed for the time being. He felt as if he could do it – as if he was going to be alright as long as he stuck with Iggy. He was also certain that Iggy wouldn't want to be left alone for any reason, so they would almost have to stay together. Lemmy and Iggy were truly inseparable, and this time was no exception. They would have to stick together in order to keep each other happy; in order to reassure each other whenever the time called.

"I think you guys will be fine together," Ludwig said to Lemmy and Iggy as they hugged each other for a moment. He smiled at them, and then turned his attention back to the largest ones in the pack. "I think you guys should get with a partner right away, if you will."

"I'll go with anyone," replied Roy. He was ready to protect someone if they needed it, defend them, or just to have someone to look around the place with. Roy was highly interested in the town, and at this point all he wanted to do was to invest some time in exploring it.

Wendy walked over to her largest brother, and said to him, "I think I'll go with you."

"That works for me," replied Roy.

Wendy mainly wanted to be with Roy so that she wouldn't have to listen to Morton's constant talking. There was no doubt that he'd be constantly talking about the place as they walked about – exactly the last thing that Wendy wanted to be dealing with.

Morton had no one else to part with, so he loudly said, "I'll go along with my dearest and oldest brother Ludwig."

"That works just fine with me," the oldest one replied.

Ludwig cleared his throat in front of everyone, and then announced, "Approximately forty-five minutes from now, you all come back here. Look around, but don't get hurt. Be careful out there, and just try finding anything useful."

Ludwig had seven heads nodding back at him simultaneously – some looking very confident, while others looking slightly feared, though not by much. The main point here was that he now had four groups looking around instead of one, which made finding something in the town just that much more probable. They were presumably safe there, and nothing would hurt anyone. There was obviously someone hanging around – someone who would be able to help them on their quest of getting back home. Little did they know, however, that that was far from the case.

There was no turning back now. "I guess Morton and I will head out now," Ludwig said to the rest of the group.

Everyone nodded back at him, and then did much the same – headed out into the town – in search of help.

* * *

><p><strong>Tenth chapter, 60,000<strong>**th**** word, this seems like a good day. For the characters in the story, and for the story itself! Do you know what's going to happen next? I'll tell you: interestingness! I'm entering the "main" part of the story; the part I've wanted to write since the beginning. Stuff is about to change drastically, but all that's going to be revealed in the upcoming chapters.**

**Leave behind a review if you wish - actually, I'd recommend doing so just so that I have your opinion with how the story is coming along. I haven't been getting many at all, so I'm just going to assume that everyone's enjoying it. :P**

**I guess that's about all I have to say at the moment. I'm enjoying writing this, and I know I'm going to have lots of fun with the upcoming chapters. I hope you enjoy it! **

**It's three in the morning, and I feel like a zombie. Totally worth it! Seeya!**


	14. New Discoveries

**Chapter 11: New Discoveries**

About five minutes ago, everyone had been separated in search of help in the town. The streets were fresh, and the nighttime atmosphere retained enough warmth to keep everyone in check. Sure, no one was particularly happy with their location, but at least the weather was cooperating. There was really no need to take cover except as a place to spend the night – if there was one nearby. At the very least, everyone was much happier and at ease. They would need exactly that if they were to look around the place without issues.

Two out of eight were strolling along the street on the lookout for anything. They haven't found anything since separating, but that was mostly due to the limited amount of time they'd been outside. Junior and Larry both found the exploration which they were on rather boring, but neither of them said anything about it because their boredom was apparent.

The clouds in the sky were clearing up at this point – there was finally enough moonlight coming through for them to see. Both Koopas were on an unnamed street with many houses on it – some of which still looked to be in decent condition. As they were on an adventure, albeit one which they never planned on going onto, they had to take a look inside something. Most of the houses were quite ordinary looking – light colored, and about average size. Some were relatively small, while others were a great deal larger. Junior and Larry were both somewhat adventurous, so they felt as though they had to take a peek inside some buildings. Besides, they were sent out to find anything, and this was a perfect opportunity for that.

"Take a look at that one," Junior pointed out – pointing his claw at a regular-looking, lightly-colored settlement. It was quite small, but it looked to be interesting enough as the first house to explore. The house had an average exterior – few windows, and a door on the front. It was sitting in the center of a small yard with overgrown grass blanketing it. The grass seemed to be about as tall as what was at the abandoned shed in the woods, but that wouldn't be enough to stop Junior and Larry from getting through. They were both determined to have at least a bit of fun while they were stranded – they would do practically anything to spike their interests.

Larry and Junior both stopped in their tracks. They were both relatively tired as they had been awake since the previous morning, but nothing was going to stop them from entering. "Maybe that's a pretty good place to stay for a bit," Larry replied, looking back at Junior. He was able to see that the youngest in the entire group was much happier – his face seemed to have lifted as he walked with Larry, possibly due to not being under the pressure emanating from the rest of the family.

As they walked, Larry kept an eye on Junior – noticing his expression lift further as they neared the house. He looked to be blushing slightly, but Larry decided against asking about it.

Both young Koopas made it to the front porch after a moment. The railing was broken in a couple places, but the deck surface was still intact. At least it looked intact, but apparently it wasn't when Larry stepped on one part and fell straight through. He yelped, but was immediately helped by Junior – who walked over to Larry, grabbed his arm, and helped him back onto the deck surface.

"Looks like this place maybe isn't so stable," Junior said upon helping Larry up. He giggled, and then smiled at his slightly older brother for being unscathed.

"I bet it's just this part here," Larry replied, pointing at the hole that was never in the wood before they arrived. "Just be careful," he then suggested.

Junior smiled at Larry, and nodded. He looked at the house for a moment – it was quiet, with no one else around – no one to bother them.

The door to the house was closed, so Larry tried rotating the handle to no avail – someone had locked it some time ago, and there would obviously be no one around to unlock it.

"Well this is just great," Larry said, being slightly aggravated at the locked door. He would have rather been able to open it easily as he didn't want to damage anything in the town.

Junior intently asked Larry, "Should we break into it?" He smiled at the thought of broken glass, and just the sheer thrill of breaking-and-entering, but he wanted the ultimate decision to be left for Larry to decide.

"I'd prefer not to," Larry replied, exactly as Junior had guessed. "But if we have to, then I guess there's no choice." The act of breaking into someone else's house didn't appeal to Larry very much, but he knew that acting upon instinct was possibly the only choice they had. The idea did seem a bit fun, but not enough to entice him. "Might as well," he then said to Junior, who chuckled at the response.

Larry giggled. The thought of breaking into someone's house was getting to him – as if Junior had "infected" him by walking along. Their malicious endeavors would prove to be a bit of fun – fun that was vital considering everything else they were dealing with while on their journey.

"I guess we have no choice, now, do we?" Junior asked his slightly older brother.

Larry playfully shook his head at Junior, and then said to him, "I guess not, if you insist."

Junior momentarily smiled at Larry. He felt closer to the Koopaling than ever before. Ever since Larry talked to him on the airship, he became more self-aware which in turn improved his interaction with others. As Larry and Junior hung out, they felt closer to each other – as if they had just met each other for the first time. Connections were building which would more than likely last a lifetime.

Just for reassurance, Larry rotated the door's handle once more. As before, nothing happened with it. "Looks like we have no choice," he then said to Junior while playfully smiling.

"I'll get something to bust that door," Junior replied. The thrill of breaking into the building was enough to encourage him, but he also wanted to help Larry out – along with everyone else in the family. He hoped that they would return with something that everyone else would be interested in.

Larry looked back at Junior, and slightly disagreed with his idea. He thought it would be better to search for another way in before breaking into the house. "Maybe it'll be better for us to find another way into the house before breaking the window," the youngest Koopaling said to the heir to the throne. Junior frowned, so Larry immediately added, "If we really have to, then we can break into it. But for now, let's stick to leaving everything as we found it." He smiled at Junior, who was immediately uplifted. "Just watch out for that hole I fell into," Larry then added.

Junior smirked at Larry – remembering the act of him falling through the deck's rotten wood. The thought was funny, but it did shake both of them up quite a bit. What mattered most is that they were both alright, and hopefully they would remain that way until they made it back home.

"Whatever," Larry playfully replied to his brother. "Just be careful out here," he then suggested.

Both Larry and Junior stepped back off of the deck, and made their way around the house, looking for any potential entrances. On the front of the house where the door and small porch was, there was a large window, presumably looking into the living room, but the glass was fixed. There was no way they'd be able to open it without breaking it.

"Maybe we can break this one in," Junior said as he carefully examined the large glass pane.

"Not without looking around the entire thing first," Larry replied. He giggled when he saw Junior's expression fall slightly. He was intrigued by Junior wanting to break into the house so badly – as if he wanted to purposefully cause trouble. The only response he got from Bowser's son was a quick glance, and then a smile. They were really getting along quite well.

As they walked past the corner, they saw two windows on the side of the house – both of which looked to be a bit too small for Junior or Larry to enter. They were about the same size, with the older one being slightly taller.

"Maybe I can get it open if you give me a boost," Larry said. The window was just over his reach, as the house was on a concrete foundation with some very small windows on it – presumably part of the basement. There was no way that Junior or Larry would be able to fit in those tiny gaps. Not even Lemmy would be able to do it. Nevertheless, they wanted to get inside, so Junior kneeled over and Larry walked up to him. The younger one, being very close to the grimy white siding of the house, stuck his hands forward, and held them firmly in place. Larry momentarily smiled at his younger brother, and then proceeded to stand on his hands. Surprisingly, Junior was able to hold Larry's weight without an issue.

The blue-Mohawked Koopaling stood up as tall as he could, and he was able to feel Junior shudder under his weight. The younger one recovered promptly, and managed to retain Larry's position underneath the window. "You alright down there?" Larry questioned, abruptly looking down at Junior.

"Yes I am," the youngest one replied. "Anything up there?"

"I haven't been able to see anything as of now," Larry replied. He stretched out even more, and managed to touch the glass. "If only you could push me up a bit higher," he then said to the one who was holding him up close to the window.

Junior nodded despite not being in Larry's sight. Neither of them were very tall, making it difficult for them to reach the relatively high window of the house. The youngest one stretched out even more, but was almost at the end of his potential travel. Up above, Larry did the same, and was finally able to place his hand flat on the glass. "I can finally touch it!" Larry happily exclaimed with no one around to hear except Junior.

Junior smiled, but as with before, he was unable to be seen by Larry, as the slightly older one was above him. "Try opening it now," he then said.

"I'll try," Larry replied. With that being said, Larry, with his hand flat on the glass, attempted to push on the window pane. It was very grimy, but the grime was dry. He wasn't able to get a very good grip on it, and the condition of the building suggested that the glass would not move anyway. "I don't think it's working," Larry said back down to Junior after his failed glass-opening attempt.

Junior looked up in an attempt to see the glass window, but Larry's body was blocking his vision. Being fully extended so that Larry could reach the glass, Junior tried stepping aside to see. This didn't really work, as he heard Larry yelp and then something relatively heavy push him into the hard grassy soil.

Junior looked around after a moment, dazed; wondering what was going on. Something landed on him right when he tried sneaking a look at the window. The next thing Junior remembered was being on the ground at the same time that something pegged him. To top it all off, his face was pressed into the soil as there was immense pressure on it and he was able to smell the earthy grass.

Something moved on top of the youngest Koopa – promptly plopping down on the grass next to him with a loud 'thud'.

"Well that was kind of mean of you," someone playfully said after coughing, who Junior immediately recognized. He looked over at the direction from which the sound came from, and was barely able to make out a form moving closer to his side. Momentarily, that form was laying right next to his right side on the grass where he was.

Larry and Junior looked at each other for a moment. Despite the younger one dropping the slightly older one on the grass, they were still happy with each other. Larry saw it as an accidental slip, and Junior saw it as an accident. He did not intend to drop Larry on the floor, and Larry fully understood that.

"I didn't mean to do that to you," the younger one cheerfully said before bursting into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Larry followed suite – laughing uncontrollably with Junior.

Larry sat up moments later after he took some time to regain his breath. "I couldn't really open that window anyway," he then said to Junior, who now brought himself into a sitting position right next to Larry.

"Then I think we have to still get in there, but somehow else," replied Junior. He was eager to break into the house, as the thought of busting in a window or door seemed like great fun to the heir to the throne. He was raised by Bowser which made such thoughts unsurprising to anyone around him.

"Such as looking around at the two other sides of the house," Larry replied, before Junior could say anything about breaking in. He smiled at the youngest Koopa, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. Larry didn't want to break in unless they had to, and he would try to make sure that Junior followed the same rules. Even though, Larry did think that it would be fun to break into the building. "Let's look around **before **breaking into the house," Larry added, "As much as you want to."

Junior's right arm was met with a playful smack by Larry, and then another smile. "I know exactly what you want to do," Larry then said to Junior.

"I think it'll be fun to smash something," Junior responded while looking at the ground in front of him and smiling. He knew that Larry was guiding him, but he wanted to at least have some fun while they were out there. "Once we make it inside then we can do something fun," he said to Larry, who nodded in response.

"Yes we can," Larry replied as he happily smiled at Junior. He then got up off of the grass, and assisted Junior onto his feet.

Junior's face must've hit the ground as Larry fell on top of him, leaving a small scrape along the right side of his snout. Larry saw the small gash, and although Junior didn't mention it, Larry wanted to make sure that he was alright. He immediately asked, "Is that cut on your face bothering you? Where did you get it?"

Junior did feel a high-pressure point on his face, but he assumed that it was caused by the shock of being rammed into the ground. He felt around, and sure enough that one spot was much more sensitive than the rest. It stung as he ran his claw along the spot, and he pulled it away only to find crimson on his hand. He assumed he received it as he fell into the ground, so he explained to Larry, "I probably got it when you pushed me into the ground."

Larry couldn't help but to smirk at Junior's response. "I'm really so sorry," he sarcastically replied. "Is it fine, though?"

"I think so," Junior replied, once again feeling around the small gash on his face. It was painful to the touch, but he barely felt it if he didn't have his hand on it. "I think it'll be fine," he then said to Larry.

"You're strong enough to deal with that," Larry complemented. Junior smiled back at him, and they proceeded to walk around to the next corner of the house – the back side of it. As with the front, the back end of the house was largely unspectacular. There were a couple of windows on both sides of the door – which were exactly the same size as the ones on the side – and the door: plain; like the one on the front. "Maybe that one's unlocked," Junior remarked as he studied the back end of the small house.

"There's really only one way to find that out," Larry replied. He then walked up to the door with Junior following him. Once there, Larry tried the doorknob – it moved this time, as if it was about to open. He pushed on it, and sure enough, the door opened – slightly, before it became hung up on something.

"Can you get in now?" Junior excitedly questioned.

"I- I don't think so," Larry huffed as he tried to push the door open even further. Junior saw his brother struggling with the force of the door, so he joined in right next to Larry. Both of them were very close together, and they were able to exert more combined force than Larry alone. "Push!" Junior choked out. Larry followed along – pushing with Junior at the same time.

Nothing. Both Koopas tried another time – able to slightly move what was blocking the door.

"Just... Once more," Larry huffed. Both of them were thoroughly out of breath, but they felt as if they could open the door if they tried a bit more. "Push on the count of three," Larry added.

"Okay," Junior replied. Larry then counted down, and they managed to push the door open. It freed itself momentarily, but that ended with a crash – literally. Something fell on the other side of the door, startling Larry and Junior and forcing them to jump back and as a reflex, into each other's arms. There seemed to be some broken glass, but apart from the crash, nothing else could be heard. Both young Koopas let out a sigh of relief as they seemingly didn't disturb anything else.

"Well it looks like that's done for," Larry said with the crash coming to an end. "We won't be getting in through that door anymore."

"We won't be making that much more noise either," replied Junior. Whatever fell over inside the house was very loud, and was probably heard from all around. The Koopalings didn't want to make too much noise in case they attracted unwelcome visitors, and also in order to keep the peace around there. They could potentially be perceived as in trouble, forcing someone to look for them.

Larry and Junior walked over to the other side of the house; the remaining and unseen side. At first glance, this side was exactly the same as the one opposite; two windows – each of which looked too small for either Larry or Junior to fit through. "Looks like I won't fit in any of these," Larry said once he saw the mere size of the windows.

"I don't think I'll be able to fit either," replied Junior, "Especially if you can't." He immediately smirked at the fact that Larry was slightly larger than him.

"Yeah, whatever," Larry playfully replied, lightly hitting Junior's arm and taking pride in his size as he was older.

Both Koopas walked past the windows, and right to the door on the side of the house where they originally started on. The door was unchanged, as expected. Larry lightly shook his head, and looked at Junior, who had a smile on his face.

Before even needing to be asked, Larry said to Junior, "I guess we don't have any other way to get in. We could always try another house you know."

"But we already checked this one out," whined Junior, still smiling at Larry as he was before.

"I guess that's all we have left now," said Larry. Both Koopas then walked up the steps, avoiding the hole which Larry fell through earlier.

"You're supposed to walk around the soft spot," the youngest one pointed out as they walked past the new hole in the deck, and then to the house's front door.

"Hey," Larry calmly explained as they stood before the dirty white door of the house. "I poked your soft spot earlier today, so you don't have too much to talk about right now." He then smiled at the younger Koopa as a 'you're welcome'.

"Yeah, I guess," Junior replied, lowering his voice and with his expression completely serious. "Thanks for that, by the way," he quietly and nervously continued. "It opened my eyes a bit at first, and maybe hurt me a bit, as you were really tight." At this point, Junior had become more serious than before; possibly even more so than Larry had seen in the past. "But I'm much better now. I actually liked it in the end, because you maybe helped me grow up a bit."

Junior was staring at the ground at this point – most likely out of nervousness due to thinking about what Larry did to him by talking about his annoyingness – effectively changing Junior for the better. "You're welcome," Larry softly replied, causing Junior's expression to lift, along with his head. "I'll be here to help you anytime, really," Larry continued.

Junior smiled at Larry, thinking about how close they were becoming. They had been getting along better than ever before – possibly turning their misadventure into something to be desired. "Thanks," he quietly said to Larry. At this point, both of them were standing by the door; ready to find an alternative way to get into the house.

"I guess we'll need something to help us get in there," Larry said as he and Junior scanned the deck. The deck was about as sparse as the rest of the town, forcing them to search elsewhere.

Junior had a slightly different plan than Larry – to directly break down the door. On the right side of it on the porch, there was a solid glass pane of a window which would be unmovable, but it could be used as an entrance had it been broken. "We can just break down this window," Larry said as he pointed to the relatively large glass pane. Junior frowned upon seeing that Larry didn't plan on breaking down the entire door.

"Maybe we can get in through the door by breaking it down," Junior replied, wanting to enforce his idea.

Larry looked back at his younger brother, and abruptly shook his head. "That's going to take too much effort," he said to the younger Koopa. Larry didn't want to waste any extra energy in breaking down the door, as it would definitely be more solid than the window. "Let's just stick to the easy route," Larry added. "We shouldn't break anything more than we need to. We don't even need to get into this house for that matter."

Junior frowned, and looked down at the ground. He wanted to have some fun while he was out exploring with Larry, which to him meant screwing something up. Larry, on the other hand, wanted to be as efficient as possible, so he didn't want to break anything if he didn't have to. Junior knew that Larry's choice was more logical, even though his own seemed to be more fun. "Let's just get into that house," he said to Larry.

"I'll look for something to bust that window," he replied, nodding at Junior. He turned around, and then stepped off of the deck. Junior followed his brother along as he didn't want to separate from the Koopaling for any reason.

Both Larry and Junior paced around in the grass for a moment. It was quite tall; just tall enough to come up to their chests. Both were about the same height, so one was able to see exactly as the other saw. This led to them finding a decent-sized rock laying on the ground. Larry got to it first – picking it up, and then nodding at Junior to go back to the house. They made it back after a moment – ready to enter for the first time.

"Here goes nothing," Larry said, passing Junior the rock. Junior was very keen on breaking and entering, so Larry decided to let him 'take the honor' by breaking the window. "Have fun," he said, smiling at Junior who had a large grin on his face.

Junior zeroed in on the glass pane – ready to throw his rock. "Here goes!" He happily exclaimed.

Junior aimed carefully – building up energy as he did so. He released the rock almost as quickly as he raised it – sending it flying through the air, and eventually through the window. This broke their goal of remaining quiet – as the shattering window was possibly one of the loudest things in town. This caused Larry to jump, though he did expect some noise. Junior turned back to his brother a second later with a smile running across his face. "Let's get into that house now," Junior said to Larry. The older one took a deep breath from being startled by the noise, and then walked over to the window that Junior was already looking through.

"Be really careful with that," Larry said with concern to the younger one. He seemed to be all to ready to jump through the glass right away. "Last thing I want you to do here is to get hurt," Larry added. He walked over to the window, and started pulling back some glass shards which were in the way. They were fairly large; dagger-like; seemingly ready to stab someone. Larry didn't want that to happen – he only wanted to find something interesting inside the house.

Moments later, Larry and Junior finished pulling through most of the glass shards blocking their entrance. There were quite a few of them, though all of them were large enough to be pulled out easily.

"Just be really careful on the way in," Larry said as Junior was about to crawl through the window. He received a nod as a response. Junior then climbed through, and didn't injure himself on the way in. Larry followed suite by climbing through the window after Junior. Like the younger one, Larry didn't end up hurting himself on the way in. Precaution brought him comfort, however.

The interior of the house was still; the same temperature as the air outside, but the lack of any sort of breeze made the interior seem warmer. There was also no source of light except for what was coming through the window from the moon. Neither of them enjoyed the musty smell inside, but that was one of the side-effects of entering an old building that had likely not been touched in a very long time. There was dust everywhere and the grimy white paint on the walls was peeling away, but the inside of the house seemed to be relatively clean and untouched. The young and eager Koopas were inside what was presumably the living room. There was a grey and dusty loveseat along the right side of the room; right below one of the small windows on the side of the house. Just at the end of the small living room was a hallway, and then another door on the left-hand wall. The house appeared to be small from the exterior, but the interior of it was another magnitude smaller.

"There's barely any room in here for us," Larry said. They stood for a moment – motionless – taken in by the sheer tininess of the house. It wouldn't be much to explore, but it was a start. All eight in the group would be able to spend the night in that house. "We can tell everyone about it once we all gather around that building," Larry continued. Junior was looking at him with questioning eyes. He momentarily asked, "Think this place is even big enough?"

"Probably," replied Larry. "It's not like this is the entire house," he continued. "There's still a bit to explore, and we're only in one room right now."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Junior questioned.

"That's what I want to know," Larry cheekily replied. He patted Junior on the arm, and said, "Let's take a look around this place."

Junior nodded at Larry, causing them both to walk over to the kitchen – which was just on the other side of the counter which was beside the couch. The entire place was dark, but not too dark to be visible.

"Wonder if there's anything in here," Junior asked Larry.

"There's really only one way for us to find that out," Larry replied. "Let's check out the storage spaces in here."

Junior nodded in response to Larry. The kitchen was no larger than his closet back at the castle. At least they didn't have too much to look at, and that was a good thing considering the small house was already boring Junior. He secretly wanted to check out another building, but they were already inside this one and he didn't want to be overly pushy. The musty smell was starting to bother him, but every other building would smell the same way, so leaving because of that would be essentially useless.

To his right, he heard a drawer open. Junior had spaced out for the past couple seconds, but he just came to. He looked over, and saw that Larry was already examining the contents of the room. "Let me join you," Junior said. Larry looked back at him with a welcoming expression, so Junior made his way over to the slightly older Koopa.

"Nothing in here, in case you're wondering," Larry said as he slammed the drawer shut. He was slightly disappointed about the lack of items in the drawer, but there were still many to be looked through. "I'll look down here now," he then said to Junior, who was mindlessly at his side. "You can look up there," Larry continued, pointing at a set of cupboards directly above the counter which he was searching.

"I'll have to do a bit of climbing for that one," Junior said, giggling at the same time. The counter wasn't challenging for him to ascend, and the cupboards above it were easy to reach. The younger one pulled open the one directly above him – directly above Larry. Upon first sight, it was as empty as the rest of them had been. There looked to be nothing inside, but that changed when the younger Koopa stood up on the counter to take a better look. "There's something in here," Junior said as he examined the green bag tucked away at the very back of the dark cupboard.

"Same here," Larry said. At the back of the cupboard he was examining, there were a handful of dark yellow tins which were quite wide compared to the average.

"Let me take a look in there," Junior replied. He was particularly interested in finding anything inside the house – mainly something that could aid them on their adventure. He unconsciously grabbed onto the bag at the end of his cupboard, and pulled it along with his body.

Larry, kneeling down on the floor next to the counter, carefully pulled out one of the tins which he found. Slowly, as there was a possibility that the innocent can contained something hazardous, Larry pulled it out of the storage space. "Here's a tin of something," he then said, looking up at Junior – only to be met with a barrage of many tiny grains pouring down onto his face. The Koopaling froze in place, unable to believe what just hit him.

Junior, up above, quickly said "Sorry", but began laughing uncontrollably.

Larry didn't think this was too funny, but at the same time, he couldn't blame Junior. The seeds slid off of his face and his body very easily, allowing him to not take much time to clean the seeds off. From above, Junior said to him, "I accidentally spilled my seeds all over your face!"

It was at this point when Larry couldn't contain himself. He burst out into a fit of laughter, much the same as Junior – joining the younger one in some fun.

"What's so funny about that?" Junior then asked as he jumped off from the counter.

"Oh, nothing," Larry replied between laughs. He stopped after a moment, and explained to Junior, "It's just a bit funny that you spilled seed all over me."

"It was pretty funny, you have to admit," Junior replied.

Larry nodded, and then took a deep breath. He forgot all about it due to the seed, but it didn't take long for him to notice the tin in his hand. "Look at what I found in there," he said to Junior, who at this point was kneeling down on the floor right next to Larry. They both examined the tin closely, but neither of them was able to make out what its contents were. The side of the tin read, _SurströmmingFilé, _and neither of them had any idea what that was.

"Ser-stromming-feel-et?" Larry read out with a smirk on his face. "What's that supposed to be?"

"I have no idea," Junior replied, "But feel-et sounds kind of like filet, which is part of fish."

"So that's what you think it is," Larry replied. He shook the can in between their heads, and sure enough, they were able to hear the sloshing of something inside. "It does sound pretty fishy to me," he pointed out.

Junior smiled, and their eyes met once more. Both Larry and Junior snickered at the joke.

"Now if only we have a way to open this up," Larry said.

"I'll check the other drawers," replied Junior. He liked to eat fish, but they didn't know how long that particular can had been in there for.

Larry nodded at his younger brother, stood up, and then set the can down on the counter. He examined it as Junior searched the other drawers. The can was relatively plain – red labeling on a yellow background. Larry wasn't able to see the details very well due to the darkness, but he was able to read the bold lettering on the side. _SurströmmingFilé, _the young Koopa thought. _Never heard of that. We'll find out sooner or later, I guess._

After a moment of thinking, Larry heard a quiet metallic clash come from his left side. He looked over to it, and saw that Junior had opened a relatively large drawer underneath the sink, and was immediately digging through it. The sound of metal was prominent – with Larry coming to the conclusion that Junior found the best drawer available at that moment: the utensil drawer.

"Anything in there?" Larry cheerfully asked as he approached Junior. More seeds fell off of him; seemingly the last of them. He shook slightly to expel the rest from his hair, and he was fine after that.

Junior giggled at Larry's attempts to clear himself of seeds, and it ended up working in the end. At the same time, he pulled out a device with two handles and a rotating handle on the end. Two sharp wheels were attached to that – a can opener! Exactly what they needed to get into the fish tin.

"Try this out on that can," Junior said to his brother. "Maybe the stuff's still good in there."

"I doubt it, but it's worth a shot," replied Larry. "Pass me that tin opener thing you have there," he added.

Junior nodded, and passed Larry the can opener that he found in the cupboard. "Perhaps we should do this outside," Larry said. "It might be a bit smelly if it's gone off."

Junior smirked. "Probably," he then replied. "Let's see if we can get that door open from here instead of going through that window," the youngest one added.

"Sure thing, bud," Larry replied. He started walking over to the door after picking up the tin from the counter. Once there, Larry tried both the deadbolt and the handle. To his surprise, both of them opened up as easily as ever, allowing him to pull the door open. "That was easy enough," he then said. "I guess we broke in and then took the front door out."

"That just about sums it up," Junior replied. "Now let's open that tin up... Out here."

Junior and Larry both stepped outside and onto the porch, and then kneeled down next to each other. Larry placed his can on the wooden deck, and then took Junior's can opener to the side of it.

The Koopaling squeezed on the can opener's handle, digging into the tin with the pressure. He got to a point where the pressure became too much for the can to bear, and it finally broke through – sending a spray of liquid between them which narrowly missed.

Immediately following, there was a very foul odor of rotten fish – the worst thing that either of them have possibly ever smelled. They both curled their noses at the odor, and immediately backed away. Larry started coughing, his body threatening to heave, while Junior was able to withstand the odor enough to stay next to Larry. "I think that fish has gone off," the youngest one said to the older one.

"That fish got off a very long time ago," Larry said, after dry-heaving twice. He took a deep breath, got up, and then walked back to the inside of the house, firmly closing the door behind himself. He did not want anything to do with that fish ever again, and decided that it would be best left in the can. He exhaled, and then took in a lungful of the fresh-yet-musty air inside the house. "Well that was pretty bad," he then said.

"And also pretty fishy," Junior remarked.

Larry giggled, but that was about it. He immediately caught the couch in the corner of his eye, and gravitated towards it. "I'm going to sit down for a bit," he said.

"I'll join you on there," replied Junior, seeing what Larry had his eyes set upon.

Both Koopas dusted off the couch, and then sat down on it. To their surprise, it was surprisingly soft – a perfect place for them to spend some time together.

Junior sighed as he sat down. It finally occurred to him that neither of them had some proper rest ever since sleeping the night before. It had been an extremely long day for them, and he was able to feel his eyelids getting heavier. He momentarily looked at Larry, and saw that he was slouched back on the couch with his eyes closed already. Junior put his left arm around Larry, and Larry did the same without further response. Junior smiled, and then leaned back in much the same way as Larry.

Time passed. Both Larry and Junior were growing increasingly tired, though no conversation was going on between them. They were each thinking about their own thing – which was completely acceptable because they were both quite tired and they had lots to think about.

Junior was mainly thinking about his time spent with Larry, who was becoming closer to him than ever before, while Larry was mainly thinking about what he could do next to help – whether it came to the entire group, or Junior, as he was still very dependent on others. The older one would do everything he could to help; to make sure that Junior always had someone there with him. They were both quite close at this point, but they would only ever get closer.

An unscheduled amount of time had passed. Junior and Larry were both periodically falling in and out of consciousness. Everything was all too peaceful for them; nothing would be around to harm them.

They were both startled wide awake by something – a light tap on glass coming from the right.

"What was that?" Junior asked in a groggy whisper as he awoke from his almost-sleep.

"I have no idea," Larry replied with the same tone. "Just keep it down." He was met with a nod, and then a gaze back to the right side of the couch.

Seconds later, as if all time in the world has passed, there was the extremely loud sound of shattering glass, and then something hitting the floor just to the right of them. Something broke through the window, but they didn't know what. Larry and Junior both screamed endlessly, as the event scared them senseless. Their safety had immediately vanished – this was it. They could only wait for what was to come.

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><p><strong>Ugh. I'm ready to pass out here. Blame <strong>**_someone _****for convincing me to finish this chapter tonight- Err, this morning. xD**

**Next chapter is the one you've been waiting for: where everything starts going out of hand. It's going to be all normal, and then *BAM* - Nope! **

**This took me a while mainly because I've been pretty busy. I'll probably get more done next week, which is a great thing. Anyway, that was chapter 11, and I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave a review behind about it.**

**Anyway, I'll see you some time in the future. Enjoy yourselves, as I know I will!**


	15. The Meeting Point -- The Beginning

**I should apologize for this delayed update. Blame the fact that I have a life outside of Fanfiction. I was essentially very busy, so I didn't have much time to write. But anyway, here it is! Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12: The Meeting Point – The Beginning<strong>

Both young Koopas frantically looked around – searching for whatever flew through the window. They knew something was bound to happen, but neither of them were expecting what was to come.

Larry and Junior looked at each other after a second – waiting for their ultimate fate. Both noticed tears in each other's eyes as if the end was near. Something was going to get them, and they'd soon find out what.

Larry reached over to Junior, and pulled him close. The younger one was certainly scared out of his mind, and Larry wanted to make the best of the situation. They were most likely in trouble, and Larry wanted to stay with Junior

They both held each other tightly upon the couch through a moment of silence. They were sitting in silence, but that didn't prove their safety.

Moments of dreadful silence passed, and something could finally be heard outside. Nearly silent, as if produced by the darkness; a thud. Then another, and then another.

The sounds emanating from outside terrified the young Koopas. They were locked in each other's arms, but that brought little to no comfort. Their sense of dread was overwhelming, but they had to retain their composure. There was no other way to avoid detection, and silence seemed to be the only option.

Something else came through the window a second later – abruptly hitting the floor in the kitchen. It sounded to be quite small, but large enough to shake them up. Larry pulled Junior in closer, and the younger one pulled himself in before bawling in tears. Larry was still in his senses, but only just. He shakily managed to embrace Junior, and then whisper to him, "J-Just be... Be very quiet. Please..."

Junior looked back at Larry with his large beady eyes – though this time, glassy and wider than ever. Seeing Junior this way broke his heart, causing him to squeeze the young Koopa tighter. "Nothing's going to happen to us," Larry quietly whispered.

More footsteps could be heard outside the house – nearing with every step. They listened in closely to the sound being produced. The sounds were familiar as if they were heard before. There was also a subtle dragging going along with it, though it may have been caused by the tall grass outside.

Both Koopas were trembling with immense fear at this point. They had nowhere to go; there was nothing that could be done. All they could do is wait. They could only hope to remain undiscovered, though that seemed like an unreachable dream.

The sounds outside the house drew nearer. Extremely tense silence was endured before another crack came from the kitchen. Junior and Larry – both shocked, darted their eyes over to the source, but didn't see anything besides the shattered glass. Both young Koopas completely lost it – Larry pulled Junior in as tightly as he could, and sobbed over his shoulder. The younger one did the same – depending on Larry to keep him safe.

Something abruptly impacted the exterior of the house with great force. It was finally here. It was going to come in only to harm the Koopalings, or possibly kill them. They could only wait for the end, as there was nowhere to run; nowhere to hide.

Junior was shaking violently at this point, and Larry was unable to stop him. No matter how tightly they held onto each other, they weren't able to gain any reassurance or comfort.

Both helpless Koopas looked to their right after a second – directly at the kitchen window. Dim moonlight was cast past the broken shards of glass – barely lighting up the area. They dreadfully listened in closely to the prominent footsteps and subtle dragging coming from outside. Larry wanted to investigate, but he would not dare to leave Junior alone, as he would most definitely lose his mind. There was a window right above the couch, but neither of them wanted to risk being seen. Larry had to remain with his younger brother if they were to make it through this. He had to think of an escape plan of sorts, but there was nowhere for them to escape to. All that could be done was wait.

Suddenly, as if an hour had passed, something slammed into the side of the house with great force. Larry and Junior both jumped at the sound, and then squeezed each other harder. They were certain of death, and this seemed like the time to die. Neither of them were going to see another day.

Junior was trying his hardest to keep himself together, though everyone has a breaking point. His eyes took over – pouring tears out like there was no tomorrow. Larry held on tighter upon the youngest one's reaction, and he was just able to keep his composure. "I-I d-don't want to... d-die tonight," Junior desperately whispered over Larry's shoulder. The younger one pushed further into his older brother, and Larry willingly accepted him.

Both young Koopas froze in place for a moment. The sounds outside definitely came from something they dreaded to see. "We're going to make it out of this," Larry incorrectly whispered to Junior. He didn't receive a response, but that was mainly due to his uncertainty which Junior definitely knew about. The only certainty they had was the fact that they were trapped.

What seemed like another eternity passed – an eternity of tense silence. They were certain that this was the end, but uncertain due to the silence from outside. That changed quite quickly, however, as the stepping quietly proceeded. Heavy breathing could be heard this time around – terrorizing the young Koopas. Both of them were shaking in each other's arms, as they knew this was the end. In their eyes, they wouldn't live to see another day.

More time passed: not much, but it seemed like an hour to the terrified Koopas on the sofa. They hadn't made any effort to save themselves, but that was due to there being nowhere to run; nowhere to hide. The house was small, and they were too feared to make any heroic movements. All Junior and Larry could do was wait, as that was their only option – to wait for the end.

This time, there was more activity coming from the exterior. Larry and Junior fearfully pressed together in an embrace – their last embrace. They could not separate at this point – they needed each other. Something suddenly hit the side of the house once more – this time with enough force to subtly shake the entire thing. Both young Koopas burst into tears. "I don't want to die right now!" Junior bawled, right by Larry's head.

"I-I'll be here for you," Larry unsteadily whispered to the Koopa in his arms. He gently stroked Junior's head in attempt to bring comfort, but that was of no use. He then looked over to his right – at the broken glass on the floor – near the broken window. Larry's vision was nerfed by his own tears; the gentle refraction of light almost calmed him, but it wasn't enough to overcome the fear of death. He held onto Junior tightly, and hoped that he'd be able to keep it together. If no noise was made, then they still had the slim chance of surviving. This didn't seem to be the case, however, as a rather large claw suddenly appeared through the window frame.

Larry lost his senses at the sight of the large claw, bursting into a fit of intense, uncontrollable tears. The younger one didn't even seem to be responding at this point – presumably in shock. "I'll keep us safe," Larry uselessly and desperately whispered. The claw reaching around the window was massive, and looked capable of taking them out with one swipe.

Almost as quickly as it appeared, the large claw withdrew. A moment of silence followed – scaring the Koopalings even further. They snuggled together closely in solace hoping to not be separated.

Larry and Junior remained motionless for a while. There was also a moment of silence – one that would most likely not last very long. Something rather large was right outside the walls – ready to harm them. Larry and Junior would be no match for the unknown entity, and they had defense. They then both noticed that the outside was silent. They held onto each other in despair, but freedom was arising.

Larry felt his mind slip at the long moment of intense silence, so he broke it by fearfully whispering to Junior, "I think it may be gone now."

The younger Koopa looked back at the slightly older one in shock. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, but he managed to respond. "I have no idea," Junior quickly replied before bursting into tears once again. He buried his face in Larry's chest and was met by a warm embrace. "Let's just remain motionless," Larry nervously whispered.

A few seconds passed since they heard anything – a few seconds which felt like ages. Silence – silence that couldn't be relied upon, as it was still bound to be out there.

Junior and Larry held onto each other as tightly as they could. They would not dare to separate; they'd stick together no matter what. They needed to remain with one another. "We have to stay together from now on," Larry whispered over Junior's shoulder amongst their tears. Junior did the same – burying his face into Larry's chest once more in hopes of finding the least bit of comfort. They sat on the couch for an undefined amount of time, waiting for the end, as it was near.

Moments passed – moments of silence that would be remembered. Something could be heard outside of the house once more – this time, creeping up the front porch. Larry pulled Junior into his chest as tightly as he could, hoping they'd spend their final moments together.

Something gently knocked on the door. Larry recognized the sound, but he was too shaken to realize it. They were both frozen in shock at this point – their death was waiting outside – waiting to come in and end their lives.

An ear-piercing scratching noise filled the room. Claws against metal – no doubt the same stuff the front door comprised of. Junior and Larry both looked over to the door despite the state of shock they were in. There was another moment of silence which lasted no time as an ear-piercing crash resonated throughout the interior – further startling both young Koopas. The door instantly swung wide open, and the two inseparable Koopas almost fainted at the sight of their presumed enemy.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Abandoned hotel bedroom...<em>**

"Hold on," Lemmy nervously panted. He rolled off of Iggy, and laid back on the bed. "I think someone might be watching us." Lemmy wiped a thin bead of sweat off his forehead, and then pushed himself up against the headboard.

"What are you talking about?" Iggy huffed. He pulled himself up against the headboard alongside Lemmy. "I think we already went over this," he added in a comforting tone. "There's no one out here. We're in here alone, so we might as well have a bit of fun."

Lemmy snuggled up against Iggy before looking up at him. "It's not that," the smaller one nervously continued.

"Then what's bothering you?" Iggy questioned. He put his arm around Lemmy and waited for a response.

"I think..." The smaller one stuttered. "I think he's here."

Iggy immediately felt concern for Lemmy. They went over this before, but nothing seemed to get Lemmy's mind off of the presence. He calmly explained, "There's no one around here but us."

"You don't know what I'm talking about," Lemmy continued, blushing at Iggy. "I'm talking about _him._"

"Who's _him?" _Iggy asked. He was confused as to what Lemmy meant.

"I don't know," the smaller one replied. "But I'm sure _he _is here."

Iggy giggled in response, and then gently threw Lemmy down onto the bed. "There's no one here but us," he responded. Lemmy smiled back up at him and blushed.

"Can't you see we're busy in here? Leave us alone!" The small one demandingly shouted after a second. Iggy backed off of Lemmy, and looked around. He was confused, but then he felt it – they were not alone. Someone was watching over them, but they had no idea what to expect. The presence didn't feel negative, however, which was enough to reassure both Koopalings.

"The adorable one told you!" Iggy shouted after a moment of glancing around. There was no one in their immediate surroundings, but _his _presence could still be felt. They received no response as they were physically alone. "I think he's watching us, but he's not making himself present," Iggy concluded.

Lemmy blushed, and then looked over towards Iggy. "That doesn't mean we can't continue," the small Koopaling said.

The taller one nervously smiled and blushed as he looked down at Lemmy. He said, "I don't know if we should have anyone watching us as we... You know, do this."

"Don't worry about it," Lemmy cheekily replied. "It's not like we're hurting anyone."

"I might hurt you doing this," Iggy responded. "I don't want to, but I might by accident."

"Don't worry," Lemmy replied, playfully punching Iggy's arm. "We're alone here, and no one's going to find out about this."

"I guess so," Iggy replied with an unsure grin on his face. He pushed himself down into a laying position as he gripped the pillow, and was immediately ready to enjoy more time with Lemmy.

Lemmy stood up on the bed, and loudly shouted, "Leave us alone in here! We're busy!" He then proceeded with his attention aimed at Iggy.

* * *

><p><strong><em>The meeting point...<em>**

"Everyone should be heading back here soon," the oldest Koopaling said with his usual authority. "We've been here almost the entire time."

"Tell me about it," the loud-mouth replied. "We found nothing out there, and then found out that there is nothing to do over here. I want to just have everyone come back since I'm getting pretty bored here because there is nothing to do in this one particular spot."

"Yeah, I get it," Ludwig replied. He looked around, but was met with no sign of anyone else – just complete silence. He sighed, along with his loud-mouth brother.

Ludwig and Morton stood around underneath the building's overhang – the same one where everyone agreed to meet.

"Perhaps they're going to be here soon, or we haven't been here long enough," Ludwig continued. Morton nodded in agreement to him before walking back onto the dimly-lit street. He stumbled around for a moment, and as before, discovered nothing interesting or new. The loud-mouth then walked back over to the sidewalk where his oldest brother was, and they stood alongside each other, waiting for the rest of the family to arrive.

* * *

><p><strong><em>The small house...<em>**

Someone very broad stood in the doorway, staring into the room with its almost non-existent eyes. Larry and Junior were frozen in shock at the sight, trapped; there was nothing to be done.

Seconds later, it walked in – calmly; coolly.

Larry and Junior continued in their tight embrace – frozen in place as their presumed enemy neared. They weren't able to focus on the sight ahead, but they knew it wouldn't be a friendly encounter.

The young Koopas on the couch clutched each other in fear as they waited for the end. They were unable to make out any of the enemy's details, but two things were certain: it was large, and it was coming directly for them.

Larry – as much as he didn't want to, kept his eyes glued to the enemy… Or, by the looks of it, possibly not. Large, but familiar at the same time. The figure was approaching slowly, and seemed to slow the longer Larry stared with his large teary eyes. On Larry's side, he was becoming more familiar with the appearance. His heart rate slowed; his sense of fear lowered. This turned into a sense of anger, though he was able to contain it.

Junior was still in Larry's arms, trembling with fear as he was not able to see the intruder.

The large figure walked in closer towards Larry and Junior, and someone else followed it – someone about the same size as Larry; following the presumed enemy into the small house.

After some angered relief, Larry received a response from the intruder. Still suffering from immense fear, Larry couldn't bring himself to speak, but he could very well listen. "What are you guys doing in here all huddled up?" The large intruder goofily asked after a moment.

Larry stared down his largest brother, but he was still unable to speak. Junior loosened his grip on the older one as he heard Roy's voice.

"Plumber get your tongue or something?" The largest one questioned. "Why aren't you guys saying anything?" He didn't receive a response whatsoever, so Roy walked over to the couch, and finally managed to make out the looks on his brothers' faces. They were both staring up at him with massive beady and teary eyes. They were both shaking which signified that Roy took his "joke" way too far. He immediately felt horrible about it, but there was nothing to be done. All he could do was to apologize and hope to be forgiven.

The large Koopaling regretfully paced over to the small couch where Larry and Junior were sitting, but he still thought that the joke was pretty funny. Roy didn't want to reveal that to them just yet, as they were both very shaken up by the dirty deed.

"I didn't really mean to scare you guys," the large one nervously said with a malicious grin on his face. "It was just supposed to be a bit of a joke."

Larry and Junior, this time sniffling over one another's shoulder, didn't respond to their largest brother. In fact, neither of them really cared to see them after the supposed prank he pulled off; they were the victims. They huddled together on the couch in shock at what just happened.

Wendy, who followed Roy into the building, was also part of the joke. It was their idea – mainly Roy's, but nevertheless was Wendy involved. "I don't think they want to talk to you right now," she said to Roy. "They probably don't want to see us."

Roy didn't respond to his sister as she was clearly stating the obvious. She came to his side, but he ignored her presence. This time, the large Koopaling lowered his voice and said to the younger ones, "I didn't mean to hurt you guys or anything. I didn't think we'd scare you that much, and I thought it was funny." He gently kneeled down in front of the loveseat, and attempted to console his younger siblings. Before he could say anything, however, Larry slowly turned his head away in attempt to avoid Roy's interaction. "Just leave us alone," the youngest Koopaling muttered.

Roy could almost feel Larry's pain, but he did not know how to react. He was willing to speak, but that wouldn't work out if Larry continued to ignore him. "Just listen to me," he then said in his most calming voice. That still wasn't enough to comfort Larry as he turned away further. "Whatever," Roy continued. "If you don't want to talk about it, then I can't help you."

This time, after Roy's attempts, Larry looked back over at his largest brother. He was still immensely shocked that Roy would ever do such a thing to him, but his offering of help was better than laughing it off. "Just don't do that again," Larry muttered, wiping tears off his snout. "That was not funny at all," he then sniffled. Junior was still in his arms, so he gently brushed his hand along the younger one's head in hopes of consoling him.

Roy shook his head, and stood up. He was out of ideas – he had no other way to apologize to his youngest siblings. "I just won't do it again," he quickly said to them. His prank was originally intended to scare them slightly, but it ended up going too far. Roy didn't think that Larry or Iggy would want to have him around as he scared them almost to death. Just in case, though, the largest Koopaling asked, "Want us to stick around here? We might as well stick together for now before we make it back to Ludwig."

Larry considered the idea, but he was still too angered to think rationally. "How about you just leave us alone," he demanded. Roy was the last one he wanted to see at that moment due to the "prank" he pulled off. Larry wanted to have some time alone with Junior, and Roy would likely prevent that. "Just leave us alone," he quietly added.

The largest one sighed. He turned over to Wendy, and quietly explained, "We might as well leave them alone for a little while."

"Just be careful around here," Wendy said, ignoring her larger brother. Larry looked up at her, and smiled amongst his tears. He nodded slightly, and then turned back to Junior who was now sniffling in his arms.

The female turned around and headed for the door. Roy looked back at Junior and Larry once more, and hoped they'd be alright. They would – there was no one else in the town, so they'd just have to head back whenever they pleased – or so he thought.

"Let's go," Roy mumbled to Wendy. She nodded at him, and then headed out the door alongside her largest brother.

Inside the small house, on the loveseat, Junior and Larry both remained huddled closely. They were both relieved to be spared, though neither of them were particularly impressed by their brother's choice.

Their breathing slowed, and they were easing up, though they were both still shocked at the event, and they needed some time to rest.

Larry was slowly rocking Junior back and forth in his arms, trying to keep the young Koopa together. He was doing a good job, though helping didn't hurt. "We're going to be safe here now with no one else around," Larry whispered to his new best friend. "Nothing's going to hurt us. We can go back soon."

Larry was getting along very well with Junior at this point, and they were almost inseparable. They sat there indefinitely as they "cooled off" from the supposed prank. "I'll be here for you," Larry whispered as he gently rocked Junior back and forth. Right after, he felt his eyelids dropping, as he was very tired. The youngest of the Koopalings gently held onto the heir to the throne, and leaned back against the loveseat's backrest. He sighed, and closed his eyes – waiting for tiredness to get the best of him.

Junior was also very tired, and Larry's body heat was getting the best of him. He finally felt safe and cozy, and wasn't able to keep himself from drifting off for very long. The gentle rise and fall of Larry's chest catered him into sleep – snuggled up against Larry – protected from the environment.

* * *

><p>Lemmy stumbled through the bedroom door, laughing along the way. Iggy followed him out of the room – exhausted and covered in sweat exactly as Lemmy was.<p>

"That was a great time we had in there," Lemmy goofily explained. "You didn't even hurt me or anything."

"Well I didn't really try too hard back there," Iggy replied with a smile.

Both inseparable Koopalings walked over to the abandoned apartment's living room where the couch rested. They both plopped down on it and sighed with exhaustion. Iggy put his arm around Lemmy, and explained, "I think no one saw us. At least, I hope no one saw us in there." He proceeded to wipe a thin bead of sweat off his forehead, and then stared down at Lemmy while blushing.

"I don't think anyone did," the smaller one replied. "But it's not like we were doing anything bad in there."

"Unless you count having fun as a bad thing," Iggy added. Lemmy nodded at him in agreement. The smaller one then happily said, "Which it isn't."

Iggy laughed at Lemmy's response, and then sighed. He looked down at the smaller Koopaling, and then explained, "I really gave you a beating in there, didn't I."

"Not really," replied Lemmy. "You didn't even get me very hard most of the time."

"Except for that one time," Iggy continued, recalling the playful yelp which Lemmy let out during the heat of their intensive fun.

"You still didn't hurt me much. I actually kind of liked being thrown around like that," the smaller one replied as he snuggled up closer to Iggy.

"Whatever you say," Iggy warmly replied. "I had lots of fun with you in there."

Lemmy smiled. He then thought about heading back for a moment before suggesting it to Iggy.

"You want to head back right now?" Iggy asked. "I'm still exhausted, but I agree with you."

"So am I," Lemmy replied. "All that intense movement really took its toll on me, but we should still head out of here soon."

"No doubt about it," Iggy replied, still breathing quicker than normal.

Lemmy stood up after a moment, and then paced around. Iggy watched him, and suggested, "Let's head back in a few minutes."

The smaller Koopaling walked back over to the couch, and sat down next to Iggy once more. "I agree," he then said before resting his head on Iggy's side. The taller one examined his brother for a moment, and noticed something white on his shell from their time in the bedroom. "There's something on you," he quietly said to his favorite brother.

"What do you mean?" Lemmy questioned as he looked back up at Iggy.

"You're carrying around some evidence," the younger one replied. "Let me get that for you." Iggy reached over, and carefully removed the white evidence from Lemmy's shell. "Don't let Ludwig find out about this. I don't know how he'll react that we did this here," he said.

Lemmy turned his attention towards Iggy who was holding something in his hand. "What was it?" The small Koopaling asked.

"You might not want to let anyone find out that we did this," replied Iggy. "Let's just keep this to ourselves for now." Iggy slowly reached over towards Lemmy's lap, and placed the small white object upon it.

The small Koopaling looked down, and examined a small white feather sitting on his lap.

"I don't think we were supposed to have an insane pillow fight in one of these buildings," Iggy explained.

"Maybe not," Lemmy said in agreement. "But all that matters is that we had fun."

"While we were supposed to be searching for stuff," the taller Koopaling added. "Let's just not tell anyone about this," he then said as he smiled at Lemmy.

The smaller one shrugged, and then nodded. "Good idea," he replied before resting his head on Iggy's side once again.

"Now let's leave this place when we're ready," Iggy suggested after a second.

"Good idea," Lemmy replied. He snuggled up to his brother who placed his arm around Lemmy. "Just give us a few minutes," the taller one suggested.

* * *

><p>Larry was very gently awoken by a light stroke through his hair. He was too dazed to realize anything at that point, but it was comforting nevertheless. He looked around momentarily, and still felt Junior snuggled up in his arms. Then he noticed – there was a large round and dark hunchbacked figure standing right before him.<p>

"Roy..?" Larry quietly called out. The figure was about the same size as his largest brother, but Larry was too drowsy to make out any features.

Before he could wake up further, a gentle gust of air hit him in the face – along with some sort of sparse dust.

Larry and Junior both began coughing violently – the younger one barely even waking up.

Neither of them had any idea of what was going on, but it was very unsettling to both of them. They didn't know what was going on, and they certainly didn't have much time left.

The slightly older Koopa immediately felt his eyelids drooping despite his efforts. His adrenaline began pumping, though it was no match for his drowsiness. A twisted and garbled giggle filled the room – right before everything disappeared into darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes! Here it is! The update!<strong>

**This one took me a while because I had stuff to do, and my computer messed up multiple times. I have it going smoothly now, though. :)**

**So what do you think goes on at the end? Does it mean harm? Is it only playing as Lemmy and Iggy were? Is it pulling a prank like Roy was? Only updates will tell! I'll give you a hint: the time has come. **

**About updates: I have some good/bad news for you guys. Christmas time is coming up (I celebrate it, but it's perfectly acceptable if you don't), and I want to write a short story themed for the event. That sadly means that I'll put this one off until then, as it's still going to take me a bit of time to write. It's going to be happy and adorable, though!**

**After Christmas, however, be prepared to find out some interesting stuff. I mean, very interesting. There will be some exploration along with the discoveries of new places.**

**Feel free to review or whatever. I'll be back soon!**


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